The Legend of Zelda: The Fourth Piece
by Davin Sunrider
Summary: Sequel to Twilight Princess. An invading army comes to Hyrule, destroying all in its path. With help from the new bearer of the Triforce of Power, the Hero and his allies must find a way to save the Golden Kingdom and the worlds beyond it. Complete.
1. The Search and the Discovery

**The Legend of Zelda:**

**The Fourth Piece**

One

Eight months after the events of _The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess_

No one knew his name. That in itself was not unusual; many people passed through Castle Town without telling anyone who they were. It was the center of commerce for Hyrule, and the biggest town in the kingdom. People of all kinds lived and worked here, and most tended to stick with the group they were most familiar with.

The man moved through the streets of Castle Town, a dark brown cloak covering his massive frame. His hood was up, concealing his face. This also was not unusual and was not commented on, for it was raining.

The thugs and pickpockets, inevitably encountered in any large gathering of people, left the man alone, which was unusual. The reason the city lowlifes avoided the man was this: He was nearly seven feet tall, and even with a cloak obscuring his figure, he was quite obviously powerfully built. Not one to challenge without numbers on your side. Even then it might be risky.

The cloaked man paused briefly in the central square to look up at Hyrule Castle, now in the final stages of reconstruction. The building was only now beginning to recapture its former glory after nearly being destroyed, and the man thought the castle particularly impressive framed by the occasional flashes of lightning.

A Hyrule soldier, portly and dim-witted, was stopped by the big man near the fountain in the central square of Castle Town. The two exchanged words, and the soldier pointed off down the south road. The cloaked man thanked the soldier and set off in the direction indicated.

He moved past the street-vendors' stalls, casually glancing at the few who were still out, huddled under awnings against the rain. There were few people out in the storm, save for a gaggle of laughing children playing in the puddles, a few adults watching them, and a few other travelers like himself, hurrying to their destinations. A dog came alongside the cloaked man and paced him for a while, but gradually grew disinterested and moved off.

The man in the cloak came to his destination, an establishment by the name of Telma's Bar near the southern gate of the city. Rain pooled in the cobblestones of the courtyard outside the bar's entrance, and the man's booted feet splashed through a few of the puddles as he made his way to the entrance, noting the sign that said the tavern was open. He opened the door and stepped through, ducking his head under the frame. Bars were often good sources of information, and perhaps he would find a clue here from one of the patrons or the owner.

What struck him first about the tavern was how few people were in it. This was the only establishment of its kind he had seen so far, and being the evening, he expected it to be full. Telma's Bar was pleasantly lit, with stone walls, wooden shelves filled with bottles and other packages, and several tables, though only two were occupied.

A dark-skinned older man, a severe-looking young woman, and another man with a goatee and blond hair restrained by a headband sat at the table in the back, poring over a map. Only the young woman looked up at him, then went back to studying the map with the two men. At the other table, which was near the middle of the tavern, a skinny, well-dressed man sat with his head in his arms, sobbing quietly.

Before the cloaked man said a word, the woman behind the bar, presumably Telma, shouted a jovial greeting to him.

"My, aren't we a big one!" She looked him over from behind the bar. "Come in, come in. Take off your cloak and stay a while!" She was a full-figured woman with vibrant red hair, easygoing in her manner, but he could tell she was ready for trouble if it came. Her white-furred cat jumped up on the bar and mewed at him.

The man threw back his hood and unclasped his travel-stained cloak, hanging it on a peg by the door. He was dressed in green and brown, with leather bracers on his forearms and a pair of black, mud-spattered boots on his feet. A sword hung in a leather-and-metal scabbard at his hip, well-cared-for but obviously well-used. There were a few throwing knives tucked into his belt, and a small axe rode the opposite side of his belt from his sword. He ran a hand through his dark hair, squeezing some of the water out.

The big man gave the proprietress a polite smile as she waved him to a table. He took his seat, and the chair creaked as he leaned back in it.

"What'll it be for you today?" Telma asked, walking over to him.

"A jug of ale, and some meat, if you have any." His voice was deep, and he made sure his tone was casual, to avoid seeming intimidating. Intimidation was not his intent at this time.

"Right away, honey," she said, and moved off to get his order.

He rubbed a hand across his dark beard thoughtfully as he looked around the bar. As he passed his gaze across the table in the back again, the old man nodded to him, then pointed to a spot on the map and moved a piece of paper next to it, muttering something to the other man seated next to him. The other man shook his head and pointed to a different spot on the map, saying something back. The young woman appeared to agree with him, as she tapped her finger on the same spot and moved the scrap of paper next to the new location.

Uninterested in their conversation, the man continued to look around the bar until Telma came back over to his table with a jug of ale and a mug in one hand and a plate of meat in the other.

"Thank you," he said as she set the food on his table. She nodded to him and started back to the bar, but he gestured for her to wait. She would probably at least recognize the object he was seeking, since it undoubtedly factored heavily in the local legends.

"Yes? Is there something else you need, honey?"

The man pulled a folded piece of paper out of a pocket in his leather jerkin and smoothed it on the table. Telma bent in for a closer look. "Have you seen someone with this sword in their possession?" he asked her. The drawing depicted the weapon known as the Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane.

Telma concealed her surprise, but it was obvious she recognized the sacred weapon. "Well, yes, I have. Why?"

The man leaned forward eagerly. "You have? Where? And when?"

"First, why are you asking about it?" she said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"I have come to Hyrule seeking the bearer of this sword, for only a Hero could master it, and it is the Hero I need to speak with. Tell me, do you know him?" The man's eyes met hers, and he could see Telma was taken aback by the intensity in his dark brown eyes.

She hesitated for a moment, but she shrugged and answered. "Sure, I know him. His name is Link. He comes in here sometimes."

A glimmer of hope flared within the big man. "And you have seen this Link with this sword? You are sure?"

"Yes, definitely." Telma nodded, glancing back down at the drawing before looking back up at him.

Unable to contain his excitement, the man leaped to his feet, sending his chair flying back against the wall. He threw back his head and gave a roaring triumphant laugh, causing even the sobbing man to look up at him in surprise. "Tell me, madam, where might I find this Link?" he said, reaching out with his massive arms to grab Telma's shoulders.

Even the normally unflappable Telma was surprised by the stranger's reaction to her answer. "Well, I think you'd have a hard time getting to him right now..."

* * *

"Do you see my glasses in there?" The speaker was a thin, neatly dressed young man named Shad, a scholar who looked more like he belonged in a library than sitting beside the deep pool of water in front of him, squinting into it. He sat down and took off one of his shoes, dumping the water out of it on the grass next to him.

"No, but I'll go look for them," said his companion, a man of about the same age but of drastically different build. This man, whose name was Link, looked used to adventuring, despite his relatively young age. He touched something on his belt, and the forest-green tunic and hat he wore morphed into a set of blue clothes of similar cut, with scaled armor on the chest and flippers on the boots.

Shad chuckled at the odd sight. "You've got to tell me how you do that, old boy."

Link smiled. "Ask the Zoras. They're the ones who gave me the armor." He turned and dove into the water, a membrane on the neck of his Zora Armor coming up to cover his nose and mouth. He swam deeper to the bottom, his blue eyes darting back and forth as he looked for Shad's glasses. They had apparently come off during their landing, and since, according to Shad, he was "blind as a bat without them", it was fairly important that they be found.

The two of them had come to the City in the Sky at Shad's request, to study the Oocca and their amazing flying city. Ever since Link had found the Oocca Sky Cannon and had it repaired, Shad had been begging Link to take him to the City in the Sky, and it was only recently that the normally busy Hero's schedule had cleared long enough to oblige his scholarly friend's request. Link had, of course, been to the city before, having come here in search of a fragment of the Mirror of Twilight during the course of his quest.

A momentary grimace crossed the young Hero's features. The last time he had been to this city, Midna had been with him. They had explored the city together, overcoming the challenges and capturing the rewards that the Sky City had to offer.

Preferring not to think about Midna just now, Link returned his attention to his search.

Spying something glinting on the bottom of the pool, he swam toward it and seized it in his hand. It was Shad's glasses, so Link surfaced and stroked toward the edge of the pool, where Shad was standing. He hauled himself out of the pool, designed to cushion the landing of those who used the Sky Cannon, and handed the scholar his glasses.

"Ah, thank you very much, Link," Shad said, wiping off the lenses with a handkerchief and putting them on.

Link touched the jewel on his belt again, and the Zora Armor morphed back into his normal clothes. As always, he sensed the armor sliding into the 'pocket' Midna had created for him with her magic. She had explained how it worked to him once, but not being magically inclined himself, Link didn't really understand it. All he knew was that he possessed a magical 'pocket' that all of his equipment could be kept in when not in use. If not for the pocket, he would have to store all of his various weapons and devices somewhere on his person, which would weigh him down considerably. He smiled slightly as he remembered acquiring the ball and chain, and Midna's sarcastic comment afterward.

_"You're lucky you've got me and my magic,"_ the Twili had said, _"otherwise all this junk would make you stoop over like an old man and probably break your back. I hope you're grateful!"_

Link was brought out of his reverie by Shad's enthusiastic ramblings about how everything was just so incredible and how he wished his father could be here to see this, and why hadn't Link told him about this place sooner and where were the Ooccas and various other things that Link didn't follow because the other man was talking so fast in his excitement. The Hero couldn't help but smile at the scholar's enthusiasm.

The two men started off in the direction of the Oocca shop, which Link thought to be the most likely place to encounter one of the strange, bird-like creatures.

Suddenly, a snarling Baba Serpent reared up out of a patch of grass in front of them. Instinctively, Link reached back for his sword, and almost faster than the normal eye could follow, whipped the blade out of the scabbard and down at the creature, executing the skill known as the Mortal Draw. The blow sliced through the creature's head and neck, killing it instantly. The Hero twirled his Ordon sword a couple times, then slid it back into its scabbard, kicking the severed head aside

"I say, Link, bloody good move you've got there. Do you encounter those things often?" Shad asked, gingerly stepping around the remains of the plant-creature.

"More often than I'd like," Link replied. "They're more an annoyance than an actual threat. Come on, there should be a couple Oocca in that building over there." Link continued on the narrow walkway, a low wall on either side, that lead to the nearest building in the City in the Sky, a small shop run by one of the odd little bird-creatures. Why the thing sold items its people couldn't use, Link didn't know, but he'd developed a rather low opinion of the sky beings' intelligence in his encounters with them. If Shad thought these things were closer to the gods than Hylians, he was in for a surprise.

The Hero stepped in front of the brightly colored door to the shop, and it opened by itself, as if by magic. As he and Shad entered the garishly decorated little shop, Link heard his friend make an odd noise, a sort of incredulous snort.

A few Oocca were wandering about in the shop. They were odd-looking creatures, with almost human-looking heads, long necks, and fat, stubby-winged bodies. Link had never said anything to anyone except Midna about this, but personally, he thought they looked like a cross between a human and a Cucco, and a bad one at that.

Midna had found his remark hilarious, and would sometimes make odd squawking noises after they spotted one of the creatures, which would send them both into fits of laughter. Since almost none of the Oocca spoke Hylian, they were usually unable to explain just what they were laughing at, and this would make them both burst out laughing again.

Link sighed quietly to himself. He missed Midna. He missed her sarcastic sense of humor sometimes, but mostly he missed having someone to talk to, someone to keep the normally solitary Hero company on the long days and nights of his travels. He especially wished they had parted differently.

But, there was no sense thinking about that right now. He had other things to do, such as try and pretend that he had heard whatever it was Shad had just said to him.

"Did you hear me, Link? I said, let's go outside for a minute." The scholar gestured at the door, his expression a mixture of amusement and puzzlement. The Oocca continued to babble at each other in their high-pitched voices, and while a few of them looked over at the two men, none of them approached or said anything in Hylian to them.

They stepped back through the door, and it shut behind them. As it often did up here, the wind picked up suddenly, and the two of them hunkered against the wall, the wind still pulling at their hair and clothes.

Shad paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "Link, have any of those creatures ever demonstrated telekinetic powers?"

"What?" The Hero wasn't sure what 'telekinetic' meant. It probably had something to do with magic, a field in which Link's knowledge was sparse.

"Have they ever moved anything without touching it?" Shad rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully.

Link hadn't ever seen an Oocca do anything like that, and he told him so.

"May I see your Dominion Rod, please?" Shad said, looking increasingly thoughtful and suspicious.

Link reached into his 'pocket' and handed the ancient rod to Shad. It was about three feet long, made of some kind of bluish-gray metal, and hummed with some kind of magical energy. Again, Link didn't know too much about it, and Midna hadn't either, but it was useful at a few points in their journey, and Link hadn't given it much thought beyond that. He'd had enough to think about already.

"Mmm, yes, I thought so." The scholar turned the Dominion Rod over in his hands, examining the carvings on it. "You are sure this rod is Oocca technology?"

"Yes." Link was starting wonder what Shad was getting at.

"I don't think these creatures you know as Oocca are the ones who built this city." Shad tapped the rod against his hand slowly, looking out at the rest of the city.

"What?! Then who did?" Link was surprised. That thought hadn't occurred to him before, though it did make sense.

Shad shrugged. "I don't know right now. But think about it, Link. These things that call themselves Oocca don't have the right anatomy to manipulate tools, so unless they have telekinetic or strong magical powers, they can't have made this place. And another thing," he gestured out at the rest of the city, "this city isn't proportioned for beings of that size." He adjusted his glasses as he pointed to the door behind them. "For example, if those little things made this city, why are all the doors proportioned for creatures our size? Why not make them smaller? Why not make the whole city smaller and designed for those little creatures instead of made for humanoid-sized beings?"

Link looked out at the city again. He hadn't really thought about that the first time he'd been here. He'd been preoccupied with finding the final Mirror shard so he could move on to his confrontation with Zant. But now that he thought about it, Midna had said something in passing about how strange it was that creatures that small had made a city this big.

The Hero was about to verbally agree with his friend when he felt an odd vibration on his back. Momentarily startled, he reached into one of the pouches on his belt and pulled out the Gossip Stone that Princess Zelda had given to him a few months ago, which was buzzing insistently.

As Link looked into the multifaceted green stone, he saw the Princess' face, her expression moving from worried to relieved as she saw his face in her own stone.

"Please, Hero, you must come quickly!" Her voiced was strained, and slightly hoarse, and the Hero could hear other noise in the background, though it was too distorted to make out.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He demanded, instantly concerned.

There was a loud noise on the other end, followed by coughing and a gasp from Zelda. "Hyrule Castle is under attack! We need your help!"

* * *

Author's Note: This story will be long, novel-length at least. It will also be fairly complex, telling the story from many different points of view and also expanding on the _Twilight Princess_ world, introducing some new characters and re-introducing some old ones in new forms. Hopefully, it's enjoyable and not confusing, but only your reviews can tell me. (not-so-subtle hint) ;)

(Revision Note) I'm revising the story, improving the descriptions, dialogue, and a few other things, but much of the story will remain the way I originally posted it. Mostly, I'm just fixing some awkward wording and correcting mistakes that found their way through the first time around. Enjoy!

Also, this story now has cover art! To see it, go to my profile and click the link in the note about this story there. Much thanks to the artist, Silverwolf05, who has done quite a lot of art for this story, as well as several of my others.


	2. The Battle and the Vision

Two

Link heard Shad's sharp intake of breath beside him. The Hero's mind was already racing with plans, thinking about how to get down from the City in the Sky, where they should land, and what was the fastest way to get to the castle. For the hundredth time since Midna left, Link cursed the fact that he was unable to warp anymore. When Midna left Hyrule, the Twilight portals they had used disappeared.

As he and Shad moved off to the Sky Cannon on the platform nearest them, Link asked Princess Zelda more about the situation. "Who is attacking?"

He heard an explosion on the other end through the Gossip Stone before the Princess answered. "I do not know, Hero. Most of the army appears to be Darknuts, but there are other creatures with them, beings with wings who fly over our defenses and drop bombs." Another explosion sounded, and Zelda winced in pain. A trickle of blood started on her forehead and started to make its way down her face. "Please, Link, our lines are breaking. Come quickly with any assistance you can muster!" Her image flickered and was gone.

Link had broken into a run, and halted at the cannon, putting the magic stone back in his pocket and getting the cannon ready to fire. Shad peered over the edge of the platform, to see which part of Hyrule they were flying over at the moment.

"You should shoot me to Death Mountain, so I can bring the Gorons!" the scholar said, taking a piece of string out of his pocket and securing one end to one leg of his glasses.

Link shook his head. "There isn't a safe place to land near Death Mountain. On the other hand, there's a waterfall pool in Zora's Domain that might cushion your fall."

"All right then," said Shad, tying the string to the other leg of his glasses. He slipped them onto his head and made sure they were secure. "I'll bring the Zoras as quickly as I can. You're going directly to Castle Town, aren't you?" At Link's nod, the scholar extended his hand. "Good luck, Link."

The Hero shook it. "Good luck to you, too." He helped Shad get into the cannon, and heard the other man tap twice on the inside to signal he was ready.

Link oriented the Sky Cannon towards Zora's Domain, aiming carefully. Once he was sure he had the shot lined up correctly, he triggered the cannon, covering his ears against the deafening blast. He followed Shad with his eyes as best he could, and once he was satisfied his scholarly friend had landed safely, he began re-orienting the Cannon.

The Hero of Twilight paused. Lake Hylia was too far away from Castle Town for him to get there in time to do much good. He was assuming that the attack had just started a short time ago, otherwise Zelda would have contacted him sooner. He needed to get as close to the battle as he could.

Link pulled at the cannon as inspiration struck him. The moat! If he landed in the castle moat, he might be able to get behind the enemy lines and start taking them out while the reinforcements arrived.

As he started to climb into the Sky Cannon, Link changed his mind. He should probably get inside the castle instead, to get as many civilians as he could to safety. Link sighed angrily. He might be the Hero, but he was still just one man.

Link touched another jewel on his belt and felt the Magic Armor replace his Hero's Clothes. He would likely drop right into the middle of the heaviest fighting, and he would need all the protection he could get. He was just glad the suit of red-and-gold armor wasn't powered by Rupees anymore. He didn't have much money on him right now.

The Magic Armor in its current state was one of Midna's parting gifts to him. After she had regained her true form, the Twilight Princess' powers had returned to their full level, befitting the true ruler of the Twili. She had taken the armor from him and, working with Princess Zelda, she changed it somehow. He wasn't sure what, exactly the two Princesses had done to the suit of armor, but he knew it was enchanted, and he couldn't be injured while he was wearing it. The only downside Link had discovered was that if he wore it for too long, or was hit too many times, it made him incredibly tired. That, and it was heavy, still being a full suit of armor, after all.

Checking his equipment one last time, Link climbed into the Oocca Cannon and triggered it. No matter how many times he got fired out of cannons, Link never got used to it. Closing his eyes against the rush of wind, he felt his stomach lurch and an incredible strain over his entire body.

* * *

Before he knew it, Link hit the water in the castle moat, and it was like a full-body slap. He sank quickly, but as soon as he had recovered his wits, Link gave a powerful stroke of his arms and legs and started for the surface, his adventure-toughened muscles making up for the weight of his armor. The Hero broke the moat's surface under one of the drawbridges, heaving in a breath, and quietly moved toward the castle side. Observant enemies would have noticed his rather loud arrival and would be searching for him.

Link heard an odd flapping sound over the rain hitting the moat, and pressed himself as close to the stone as he could. A winged creature swooped under the drawbridge and hovered in place, looking around suspiciously.

It was a strange-looking being, even for what Link was used to, and it was of a kind the Hero did not recognize. It was roughly man-sized and shaped, covered in brown and tan feathers, with admittedly beautiful wings, mostly brown and white with black tips. Its head was shaped and arranged mostly like a human's, with a beak instead of a nose and a high plume of white feathers instead of hair. It wore no clothing save a weapons belt across its hips, and on it Link could see a sword, several bombs, and some other objects he couldn't make out from where he hid.

The Hero allowed himself to slowly sink beneath the rippling water's surface, switching to his Zora Armor. Holding himself as still as possible, he waited for the creature to leave. It came dangerously close to him once, but before long it gave a long, shrilling cry, distorted and muffled in his ears by the water and the hood of his Zora Armor, and moved off.

Link hoped the cry wasn't some sort of alarm. He remained underwater for a few moments, waiting and thinking. When the Princess had said 'flying creatures', he'd assumed she meant Kargorocs or the flying Lizalfos he'd encountered a few times, but these were new to him.

He moved as silently as he could over to the castle side of the moat, and, finding tiny hand- and foot-holds in the slick stone, began to climb up the wall. As he was climbing, Link finally allowed himself to wonder why the drawbridge was down. As far as he understood, raising the drawbridges was the first step in castle defense. Had the attack been that sudden? Or, had the enemy perhaps forced the drawbridges back down?

Finding a foothold that was reasonably steady, Link took out one of his clawshots and looked for something that it would attach to. He saw a likely-looking target, a torch mount, fired, and was pulled up onto the bridge.

When he dropped to the ground, Link switched back to the Magic Armor and put away the clawshot. Feeling a momentary tingle on the back of his neck, his swordsman's reflexes hurled Link out of the way just as a massive hammer came smashing down where he had been standing a moment ago. Rolling to his feet, Link drew his sword and took his shield in hand.

Facing him was a Darknut, a gigantic armored warrior much like the ones the Hero had fought on his journeys. Darknuts looked like massive humans encased in full plate armor, over seven feet tall and solidly built. For all Link knew, that's exactly what they were, since he hadn't ever seen one without its inner set of armor on. Their bodies, like almost everything else he had fought, vanished in a cloud of black smoke once they were defeated. As would this one, shortly, he was sure.

Link's foe swung its hammer through the air menacingly and growled a challenge at him. Link simply bared his teeth in a predatory grin in return, the rain splashing off his armor as he was suddenly lit up by a flash of lightning.

He leaped in and dove between his opponent's legs, slicing at armor straps on the way. The Darknut swung its hammer at him again, and even though he blocked the blow with his shield, it still knocked the Hero several feet away. Grunting a deep chuckle, the enormous armored being thumped closer.

Link threw his sword high into the air, reaching back to draw and arm a bomb in one practiced motion. He tossed it at the Darknut's feet, and momentarily distracted the armored giant by catching his sword and twirling it a few times. The bomb exploded before the Darknut realized what he was doing, taking several pieces of its outer suit of armor with it, including the giant's shield. Stooping to pick up the shield, the Darknut left itself open for Link to jump on its back and slice away more armor. If he could just get the outer set of armor cut away, he could start wounding the menacing giant and take it down.

With a roar, the Darknut grabbed the Hero and hurled him against what remained of the castle gate they were standing near, the plates of the Magic Armor clanking off the gate and rattling as he hit the ground, his face landing in a puddle.

Link groaned as he hauled himself to his feet. He knew he hadn't taken any actual damage because of his Magic Armor, but that didn't mean it didn't still hurt. The Hero quickly rolled to his right as the giant hurled its hammer at him and drew its smaller sword. A surge of adrenaline washed away his pain; when they took out their backup weapon was when Darknuts got nasty and even more dangerous. Now it wasn't just fighting to kill him; it was fighting to survive.

Yelling ferociously, the Darknut leaped toward him, moving surprisingly quickly for a being its size, and brought its sword down in a powerful two-handed strike. Link barely got his shield up in time. As the blow connected, he let out an involuntary cry of pain. Again, he hadn't been injured, but knew that if he hadn't been wearing his armor, his forearm would just have been snapped in half from the sheer force of the strike, shield or not. This Darknut was much stronger than others he had fought, and Link momentarily wondered in the back of his mind what made this one different.

The Darknut kicked him in the gut, sending him flying again. This time, Link leaped to his feet in a red rage, snarling like the beast he had once been. It was time to finish this, _now_.

With a savage growl, he sprang at the monstrous Darknut, his sword moving in a blur of strikes. The armored giant matched him blow for blow at first, their swords clanging together over and over again, echoing off the stone of the castle wall and the water of the moat. Gradually, more and more of Link's anger-fueled slashes made it through the Darknut's guard, and when he saw the opportunity to plunge his sword through a hole he had made in its armor, he took it.

The Darknut cried out, falling to its knees, and as Link yanked his sword out of the monster, it collapsed face down, a final groan escaping it before it exploded into a cloud of black smoke.

Exhausted, Link sagged against a nearby wall to catch his breath. This Darknut had seemed tougher than others he had fought. Link couldn't remember fighting just one of the things for so long; even the three he had faced at once at the bottom level of the Cave of Ordeals had gone down quicker than this particular warrior.

Link stretched his arm and grimaced; apparently the Magic Armor's protection didn't extend to bruises, and there'd be a good one on his shoulder from one of the times he'd landed on it. The Hero pulled out a bottle full of ruby liquid, yanked out the cork with his teeth, and drained the bottle, grimacing again at the aftertaste. He hadn't actually been injured, but the fight had taken a lot out of Link, and he would probably be doing this for several more hours. He needed all the energy he could get, and once he felt the tiredness wash from his muscles, Link stood and stretched inside his armor.

He drew his sword once more, smiling slightly as he noticed that the finely crafted Ordon blade had taken only minimal dings and scratches in the battle. He'd gotten used to the Master Sword, with its enchantment that protected the sacred weapon from any damage, and once he'd returned it to its resting place, Link had had to get reaccustomed to an ordinary steel sword.

As Link moved to enter the town through the partially destroyed gate in front of him, he felt an odd tingle in his hand, and looked down to see the triangular marking on it flash with bright golden light and manifest itself even through his glove.

He had just enough time to wonder what it meant before a sudden wave of dizziness overtook the Hero, and he stumbled against the destroyed door, unconscious before he hit the ground.

* * *

Telma blasted off another shot at one of the flying creatures that was swooping toward her, grinning triumphantly when it connected and the thing vanished in a cloud of smoke and feathers. The bartender had appropriated Auru's shoulder cannon and was using it to defend her bar, into which she and the others were attempting to herd the panicking townspeople. She, Ashei, and Rusl were outside the bar, defending it as best they could. Auru had gone off through the secret passage to the castle, to see what assistance he could give the Princess.

The attack had begun suddenly. One moment, the bar had been fairly calm, the regulars and the stranger drinking and talking quietly. The big man had introduced himself as 'Arnak, son of Tyraj', and Auru had just begun to question him about why he had come to Castle Town when an explosion sounded and a Hyrule soldier stumbled in, babbling incoherently. Once they had calmed the panicked man down enough to understand him, Telma and the others had rushed outside to see what was happening for themselves, and all of them had been taken aback at the scene before them.

A massive army was swarming through the city, made up of Darknuts, Bokoblins, Bulblins, and those strange bird-creatures nobody recognized. Civilians ran screaming every which way, and while the occasional flash of lightning illuminated the city soldiers mustering a line against the invaders, the lines were quickly broken and the city was rapidly being overrun.

Arnak had drawn his sword, sprinting off to fight any enemies that came within range of his blade, but the others had remained at the bar, dashing back inside to fetch their weapons. Dozens of townspeople began fleeing for the bar when the southern gates were wrecked closed by a bomb dropped by one of the flying creatures, and Arnak had reappeared a few more times during the battle, guiding and protecting a group of civilians through the rain to the relative safety of the bar. He usually never paused longer than a second or two before running off again, and Telma heartily appreciated the stranger's courage. She was sure many lives would be saved because of his actions.

A group of Bulblins noticed the defenders, and the ugly little creatures charged the bar, shrieking and whooping as they brandished their clubs. A well-placed shot from Telma's cannon destroyed most of them, but a few picked themselves back up and leaped down the stairs into the courtyard, shrieking a battle cry.

Rusl met them head-on, weaving a web of steel with his sword. The enemies found no holes in his defense, but he found all the holes in theirs. He was always moving, never staying in the same place for longer than a second or so. More often than not, enemy strikes hit nothing but air as the swordsman dashed between them. In seconds, a half-dozen Bulblins vanished in puffs of smoke.

Ashei's technique was vastly different, but no less effective. She fought in much the same way she spoke, bluntly and to the point. She wasted no movements, the sword in her hand leaping unpredictably like a striking snake to slash and stab among the Bulblins before any came near her. She switched her sword into whichever hand was best suited for a strike, being equally skilled with both, and her armored fist met the Bulblins as often as her blade, knocking the little monsters away.

With their combined efforts, the entire group of Bulblins was gone in less than a minute, but the three of them remained on alert, peering through the rain for more enemies or more civilians.

A great clatter rose up from just out of sight, punctuated by a thunderclap. There was a pained grunt, and a great yell of exertion, and suddenly a Darknut, still mostly armored, came flying into the small courtyard outside the bar and smashed into the wall, actually leaving an indentation after it dropped to the ground. It lay there for a moment, the rain tinkling off its armor, and the three defenders readied themselves to attack it.

With a bleary groan, the Darknut slowly hauled itself to its feet, only to be smashed into the wall again by another giant meeting it with a flying tackle. It was the stranger, Arnak. He leaped to his feet with a quickness unusual for a man his size and grabbed the armored giant by its breastplate with both hands. He slung it into another wall, where it knocked a hole in the masonry this time.

The armored giant rolled to its feet again, snatching up its sword, and it swung at its opponent, who stood almost as tall. Arnak's sword swung up, and the armored warrior's blade clanged against it, the two giants engaging in a heated duel of both skill and sheer brute force.

Rusl started to head over to the battle between the titans, but Ashei held him back. "I don't think he needs our help," she said, a note of incredulity in her voice.

Arnak attacked the Darknut with an almost animal ferocity, using his hands and feet as much as his sword. Even though he wore no armor, he didn't seem in the slightest at a disadvantage, and the Darknut's slashes and stabs never made it past the stranger's guard, his sword flashing in the dim light as it occasionally reflected a distant bolt of lightning. The combatants finally locked swords, and their contest was down to simple brute strength. Telma couldn't see the Darknut's face through its helmet, but Arnak's teeth were gritted as the muscles under his rain-soaked tunic bulged and he pressed forward with all his strength.

The Darknut seemed to be pressing the big man back for a moment, the stranger's leather boots slipping on the slick cobblestones, but Arnak suddenly moved to the side, unbalancing the armored giant momentarily. The big man hooked his foot around the Darknut's knee and pulled, striking the monster on the back of the neck with the pommel of his sword as the Darknut toppled forward. Arnak dropped his sword to pick the Darknut up again, and, holding it over his head for a moment, he gathered his strength and dashed the armored monster to the ground. It puffed into smoke on impact, the residue swirling about Arnak's feet before dissipating.

The dark-haired man stood there for a moment, his great chest heaving as the rain mingled with the sweat on his face, his eyes closed as his breathing slowed. Arnak opened his eyes, turned to the others, and smiled, flashing fairly white but also fairly big teeth.

Telma found herself thinking that if a wild bear was suddenly turned into a human, this man might be the result. She'd never seen such raw power in an ordinary human before, but she was now rethinking her assumption that this man was in any way 'ordinary'.

"It's all right now! Come on, everyone," Arnak boomed, his deep voice inflected with an unfamiliar accent.

A group of townspeople, numbering about two dozen or so, emerged from where they had been hiding, murmuring to each other, and started moving for the bar.

Sensing a pause in the combat, Rusl walked over to the burly man and extended his hand. "Excellent fighting, sir! I don't think I've ever seen anyone take down a Darknut with sheer brute force before." His tone was full of both astonishment and respect, and he still had a slightly incredulous look on his face as he spoke.

Arnak shrugged modestly as he gripped the other warrior's hand. Any further discussion the two men might have had was interrupted by multiple heavy footsteps and armor clanking, the sound audible even over the rain.

A group of three Darknuts thumped into view, accompanied by several more Bulblins. The defenders readied their weapons and charged into battle yet again.

* * *

Link knew by the unearthly white landscape around him that he was probably still unconscious. The featureless, ghostly world, swirling with mist, was interrupted only by a shimmering version of Hyrule Castle in the background, just as immaterial as the rest of the world around him. It looked quite a bit like the spectral plane where he had learned his more advanced sword skills from the Hero's Shade, an ancient Hero who had appeared to him periodically to pass along wisdom from another age. Link was hoping to see his old teacher again, but instead the Sages appeared before him, speaking in their eerie, echoing voices.

"It has been some time since last we met, Hero of Light," they said as one in a ghostly chorus. The Sages resembled white-robed priests with masks floating in front of their faces, or, where their faces would be if they had any. They were ghostly and unusual to Link, who was privately unsettled by them.

"Greetings, Sages. Is there something you need from me?" The Hero fought to keep the irritation out of his voice; this was probably important, but he wanted to go back to the battle. He was especially worried about Princess Zelda, since her communication to him had cut off abruptly.

"Nothing other than to listen, Hero. We have called you to this plane because there is vital information to be passed on before you proceed." The Sages spread their arms as one, both indicating Link and someone behind him.

Curious, Link turned to look, and his mouth dropped open in surprise as he saw her. Tall and slender, with bright orange hair and softly glowing blue markings on her arms and legs, she wore a long black robe that was also decorated with the swirling, geometrical blue patterns. Link couldn't believe his eyes. Here before him was the one person he never thought he would see again.

She smirked at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Eloquent as always. What's the matter, Mr. Hero? Still don't have anything to say?" The sadness in the woman's eyes belied her lighthearted tone, and her smirk faltered for a moment as she looked at him.

"Midna?!" was all Link managed to say, stunned.

The Twilight Princess grinned sarcastically, holding a hand over her heart. "Well, I'm glad you didn't forget me, at least. We haven't seen each other in an awfully long time." Again, Link was struck by the sadness in his friend's eyes, and it was only because he knew her as well as he did that he ignored her words, merely a front she was putting on.

Midna's tone became softer. "Maybe you'd better listen to what the Sages have to say, Link. We'll talk later." She gestured to the spectral priests and fell silent again.

With effort, Link returned his attention to the Sages, and one of them moved forward. "I must be brief, Hero, for you need to return to the battle," it said.

The Sage spread its hands. "You have heard the legend of the Three Goddesses and the Triforce, correct?" At Link's nod, he continued. "The tale is an old one, and the legends of the Golden Power have spread through the world since time began. Mortals have fought and died over the Triforce, and only a select few have borne its three pieces in its long and storied history."

Another Sage spread its hands, turning to Link. "But, there is a part of that history you have not heard, and it is known only to few. The Triforce has been broken and rejoined many times, but its most recent breaking concerns you."

A different Sage spoke. "The one you know as Ganondorf, a man born in the great western desert and raised by the Gerudo to be their king, learned of the Golden Power, and desired it for himself, for that power-hungry man knew that it would give him the abilities of a god. Crafty and manipulative, he carefully arranged events to allow him to enter the Sacred Realm and seize the Triforce for himself, taking advantage of a naive princess and a heroic young boy to accomplish his goals. His heart was not balanced, however, and he was only able to claim the piece whose attribute he embodied most: Power. The Goddesses granted Wisdom to the princess and Courage to the young boy, knowing that combined, they would be able to overcome the Dark Lord."

Link interrupted. "I've heard the legend of the Hero of Time before."

The Sage continued. "Most in your realm have, Hero. The tale usually ends with Ganondorf being sealed away by our predecessors, swearing revenge on the Hero of Time and the Princess Zelda. But, what happened after went unrecorded, and this is what you must know. "

A new Sage took up the narration. "Over time, the seal on the Dark Lord weakened, and Ganondorf was eventually able to escape back into this world. He had learned from his earlier overconfidence, and during his years of exile, he made careful plans to be carried out upon his escape. He moved quietly through the land, avoiding the attention of the bearers of Courage and Wisdom, and, using his own shadow magic, enhanced by the power of his Triforce, he forged in secret a fourth piece to the Golden Power, the Triforce of Shadow. He intended to use it to control the original three pieces of the Triforce and channel their power through his own abomination.

"But, Ganondorf discovered, he was unable to use his creation. He had followed the pattern of his own Triforce too closely, and was unable to bear both the Triforce of Power and his creation at once. He had been searching for a way to give his Triforce to a new bearer when we were able to capture him and sent to the Twilight Realm, as you know."

Midna spoke up again. "Ganondorf spent decades in my realm, building up his strength and recovering from his wounds, and he eventually appeared to Zant, as he told us before we fought him. We think that Ganondorf used Zant to bring the Triforce of Shadow into my realm from where it was hidden, so he could have it near him as he continued to regenerate his powers. Once he regained physical form, I think he was going to give Zant the Triforce of Power and put his creation into himself. This would let him control the bearers of the other three pieces, and channel their power through his Shadow piece, as the Sages said." The Twilight Princess gestured at Link. "Thankfully, we defeated Zant before that could happen. But unfortunately, only Ganondorf knows where in my realm the two of them hid the Triforce of Shadow."

Link narrowed his eyes. "You said 'knows' just now. Is Ganondorf still alive?"

One of the Sages seemed to sigh, an eerie sound. "The Dark Lord is currently too weak to take physical form, but his spirit has survived. I am afraid you did not permanently destroy him, Hero."

Link was shocked. "But... I stabbed him with the Master Sword! I watched him die, and I burned his body myself!"

A Sage spread its hands, gesturing at him. "And it is good that you did so, Hero. If Ganondorf's body had remained, he could have entered it again and the situation would be worse."

A different Sage spoke. "Hyrule is in enough danger as it is. The forces besieging Hyrule Castle are under the direction of a powerful Shadow mage, and we believe it is the Dark Lord. We also believe there may be another entrance to the Twilight Realm inside the castle somewhere, and this is what he is after."

Another Sage indicated Midna. "Since the Twilight Princess destroyed the Mirror of Twilight, that route is closed to him. But Ganondorf did not use the Mirror to return to the world of light, since it was still in pieces when he did."

"I've been looking for the other end of that portal here in the Twilight Realm." Midna said. "I haven't been able to find it yet, so you'll have to get inside the castle and find the portal on your end before one of his soldiers does."

A Sage waved its hand and an image of a powerfully built dark-haired man appeared. "You must also find this man, Hero. After you defeated Ganondorf, the Triforce of Power passed to him. He does not know exactly what he possesses, so find him before Ganon does. His heart is pure, for now, but if the Dark Lord gets him in his clutches, he could become a dreadful enemy."

Link nodded briskly. "Okay. I'm ready to go back now." He stopped. "One more thing, though. What are those bird-creatures that are with the attacking force? I've never seen one before."

All of the sages turned to look sharply at him, their masks swiveling in unison to face the Hero. "Describe them, please." Their voices echoed with concern.

Link did so, recalling the details of the one he had seen up close after his arrival.

He actually heard the Sages gasp, and kept himself from flinching at the eerie sound. The Sages turned to face each other for a moment, and then one swiveled out to face Link again.

"This raises questions we must seek the answers to. Hero, we must return you to the battle immediately! Try to capture one of these creatures if you can. We will contact you again soon."

Link had just enough time to look over at Midna again, seeing her raise a hand in farewell, before the spectral landscape vanished and he was back in Castle Town, groggily pulling himself to his feet and charging off into the city.

* * *

(Revision Note) I expanded some descriptions and reworked some of the dialogue, most drastically in the vision at the end of the chapter. Hopefully that makes more sense now, and ties the story together a little more. If you're confused anyway, keep reading. It all gets explained eventually.


	3. The Retreat and the Escape

Three

The Darknut collapsed to the ground, groaning its last breath. Arnak planted a foot on the armored monster's chest and pulled his sword out with a flex of his massive arm. Before it disappeared, he sliced its belt buckle off as a trophy, as he had done with most of the other Darknuts he had defeated today.

Sensing something sneaking up behind him, Arnak suddenly reversed his sword and stabbed backwards. The Bulblin dropped its club and swiped once at the blade protruding from its forehead, groaning, before it exploded into black smoke.

Arnak looked around for more enemies, and when he saw none, the big man took a rest break. Sheathing his sword, he sat down on the edge of the fountain and focused on his inner core, bringing his calm to the top, and pushing his rage back down until he needed it again.

As he sat on the stone wall ringing the fountain, Arnak looked down at his right hand as he pulled off his glove. As he sometimes did, he gazed at the odd triangle pattern that was on the back; a pattern he had seen more and more often since coming to Hyrule.

It had suddenly appeared on his hand as he was hunting in the mountains near his home village one day. He had just drawn back his bow, aiming the arrow at the biggest elk he had ever seen, when he felt a sudden surge of power and strength flow through him. In shock, he had pulled the bow so far back he broke it. The elk had bounded off at the sound of the splintering wood, but Arnak was too amazed to be disappointed.

_He dropped the broken pieces of his hunting bow and ran after the elk, noticing as he ran that he already seemed faster and stronger. Even his hearing and sight seemed sharper._

_Arnak ran faster and faster, until he was pacing the elk and running at its side. The animal looked at him in shock. To be truthful, Arnak wasn't any less surprised than the elk that he was beginning to run faster than it. Soon, it would have appeared to an outside observer that the elk was chasing Arnak, rather than the other way around._

_When he was a dozen feet or so in front of the animal, he skidded to a halt and turned around. The elk didn't have time to swerve or dodge before he had grabbed it by the antlers. It let out a snort of outrage and began to thrash and buck. Arnak maintained his grip through all of its gyrations, and soon the animal gave up, panting heavily as sweat foamed on its flanks._

_To Arnak's bewilderment, he wasn't even breathing very hard. He stared at the exhausted animal in front of him, which collapsed to the ground, its chest heaving._

_For the first time, he noticed the glowing triangle pattern on his hand. It was a golden triangle made up of three smaller triangles, and the top triangle was glowing brighter than the other two. As he wound down, Arnak pulled off his glove and noticed the glow fade into black, as if it was a tattoo. Arnak rubbed at it, but felt only skin. What was this?_

_He looked back down at the elk, which still lay on the ground. It moved its head to look at him, seeming to wonder if he was going to finish it off or not. He reached down and patted the animal on its shoulder. "Not today, my friend. You ran a good race, though."_

_Arnak made his way back to where he had taken his pack off in preparation for his shot. Not only was it farther away than he thought, but when he finally got back to where the pack lay, he was surprised by the condition of his bow. He picked up the broken weapon, looking at in astonishment as he examined the broken ends. Arnak had made the bow himself, and it was so thick that none of the other men in the village could bend it._

_He had broken it like a twig._

_As he picked up his pack, he was amazed at how light it felt compared to when he packed it that morning. It seemed as if his strength had been increased tenfold._

_What was this wondrous new power? As he made his way down the mountain, Arnak decided that he would ask the village shaman if he knew what this marking on his hand meant._

_Belatedly, he remembered that he had come into the mountains today to get food for his family. Hearing a twig snap, he slowly turned in that direction and saw another elk, smaller than the one he had pursued earlier._

_Almost without thinking, Arnak stooped, picked up a rock, and hurled it at the animal. The elk had just enough time for a surprised grunt before the rock struck it between the eyes and it fell over, dead. Arnak paused for a moment. He certainly hadn't ever done __that before._

_Arnak made his way over to the animal and dressed it out, draining the blood into the spot where it had died as a sign of respect for the animal who had given its life so that he could continue his. He hoisted the entire elk onto his shoulders and nimbly picked his way back down the mountainside, the huge animal weighing next to nothing to him now._

_He strode into his small mountain village with a booming triumphant laugh, alerting all to the success of the day's hunt. A group of small children gathered around him, laughing and cavorting as he made his way to the village square to drop off his catch with the butcher, as most hunters did._

_Darmok was washing his knives as his assistant scrubbed down the cutting block. "Ah, Arnak, you are early! Jalad and I were not expecting you until after sunset."_

_Jalad, the butcher's apprentice, nodded. "You almost always come back with at least one animal, Arnak. How do you do it?"_

_Arnak grinned as he heaved the elk onto the counter. "Patience and endurance, Jalad. Remember that if you ever summon the courage to hunt in the mountains with me sometime."_

_Darmok chuckled as Jalad turned red. "I'll have some of this ready for cooking in a few hours. I'll send the bold one when it's ready." Arnak turned to go, but Darmok spoke up again. "Oh, one more thing. Your wife asked me to tell you to see her as soon as you can."_

_Arnak grinned again as he waved to the butcher and turned to jog off to his house. He nodded to the various townspeople he passed and stopped to tell Enkidu the shaman that he would be by later to talk to him. The other man nodded politely and continued on his way._

_He slowed as he came to his house, a modest two-story building with brick walls and a thatched roof. Arnak strode inside, announcing that he was home. Dropping his pack and his weapons belt next to a chair, he sat down to take off his hunting boots._

_His wife came around the corner, beaming her beautiful smile at him. Arnak swept her into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. Mara laughed and ran her fingers through his hair._

_"You're getting a little shaggy again. Maybe I ought to trim your hair tomorrow." She touched his cheek. "I'll give you a shave, too. You're getting scratchy." Mara swept her long red hair over her shoulders and looked up at him, touching his arm. "But seriously, Arnak, I have news for you." Her clear blue eyes twinkled. "You may have to add on to the house."_

_Arnak was beginning to suspect what she was getting at, but decided to feign ignorance. "Your parents aren't moving in, are they?" he asked with a teasing grin._

_Mara sighed in mock exasperation. "No, Arnak, my mother and father are just fine where they are." She smiled again. "I am with child." As soon as the words left her lips, he laughed with delight and kissed her again._

_"When did you find out?" Arnak said as he walked into their small, comfortable sitting room and sat down in his favorite chair. His wife sat down next to him._

_"Just this morning, a few hours after you left. I had been suspecting for a few weeks, but the shaman confirmed it. He says it might even be twins!" She was practically aglow with happiness. These would be their first children._

_"A double blessing! We must celebrate!" Arnak beamed. Twins were extremely rare in their society, and were seen as blessings by the gods on the faithful._

_They talked for a few hours about what renovations they might have to make to the house, whether Arnak should give his apprentice at his smithy more responsibility so he could spend more time with her, and various other plans for the child (or children). They even began debating names, wondering if the baby would be a boy or a girl, or if twins, one or two of each. Arnak was planning to hold a feast when they told the rest of the village, so the rest of their friends and family could share in their joy._

_There was a knock at the door, and when Arnak answered it, it was Jalad, come to tell him that some of his elk was ready. Arnak put on his boots and went outside, leaving Mara to go next door and tell her sister the good news._

_Arnak was so happy as he walked to the butcher shop that he didn't even notice the sudden appearance of clouds, or that it began to rain. First, this mysterious power had been bestowed upon him, and now he would be a father soon. What other good news could he possibly get today?_

_Enkidu, the village shaman, stepped in front of him suddenly, his dark blue robes swishing about him. "Arnak, may I see your hand?"_

_The big man was surprised. Hadn't he said that he would talk to the shaman later? Why had Enkidu approached him now? And how had he known about the marking on Arnak's hand? He hadn't even shown it to Mara yet. Shrugging, Arnak pulled off his fingerless glove and held up his right hand._

_Enkidu said nothing, only indicating the shaman's house with a wave of his hand. They went inside and Arnak sat down in one of the chairs in Enkidu's sitting room, the walls lined with bookshelves filled to bursting with volumes of every size and shape. The shaman pulled all his curtains and then sat down across from Arnak._

_"Did you feel a surge of power when this appeared on your hand?" The older man absently rubbed a finger over his ear, which was pointed, unlike the rest of the people in the village. He was rumored to have come from another land, but the shaman had been here as long as Arnak could remember._

_"Yes, I did." Arnak told the shaman about his hunting trip, mentioning how he had broken his bow and that he had outrun the elk he had been hunting._

_Enkidu rubbed his graying beard thoughtfully. He seemed to be about to say something, but he got up and went to his bookshelf instead. He pulled a thick, ancient-looking book off the shelf and set it down on a table. He flipped through it for a few moments, muttering to himself._

_"Aha!" He said, tapping a page with his finger. Enkidu moved the book so Arnak could see. The page was a detailed drawing of a sword in a pedestal. It was hard to tell from the scale, but Arnak thought the sword the drawing represented was probably three and a-half feet long altogether. There was a gem of some sort set in the hilt, and the crosspiece was reminiscent of outstretched wings. The symbol that had appeared on Arnak's hand was inscribed into the blade._

_He looked at Enkidu in surprise. "What is this?"_

_The older man touched the page gently. "This is the Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane. This book comes from the faraway kingdom of Hyrule. Legends there tell of Heroes that arise to defend the land against evil whenever they are needed. This sword is the traditional weapon wielded by these Heroes."_

_"So there's more than one of these Master Swords?"_

_Enkidu shook his head. "No, there is only one in Hyrule. It has to be hundreds of years old. It can only be wielded by those with a pure heart and tremendous strength of will. Evil cannot even touch the blade."_

_"What is its connection to this power I have now?" Arnak looked at the back of his hand again._

_Enkidu started to answer, but was interrupted by the sound of an explosion and a strange, loud whirring sound. The two men rushed to the door, and Arnak stepped outside, looking around._

_Smoke rose from the central square of the village, most of which was now on fire. Bizarre flying creatures, shaped like feathered men with wings, were swooping back and forth, dropping bombs on more buildings and chasing after the fleeing villagers. Arnak heard an explosion from the direction of his house, and fearing the worst, he ran for it._

Clenching his fist, Arnak pulled himself back to the present and leaped to his feet, savagely kicking the wall of the fountain he was sitting on. He didn't want to remember any more.

Arnak drew his sword and ran off to find more things to kill.

* * *

Link slammed his shoulder into the door. Some wood splinters broke off under the metal of his armor, but nothing more happened. Yelling in frustration, he kicked the offending barrier again. Still nothing. The Hero sighed. He didn't want to use a bomb to blow the door open, as he was fairly sure there were people on the other side, and the door needed to be intact to continue the defense.

He was in the courtyard of Hyrule Castle, attempting to gain entrance to the central keep after defeating a band of Bulblins that had been attempting to do the same thing So far, he was just as unsuccessful as they had been, despite shouting who he was repeatedly. He had received no answer, and indeed, had seen no one besides enemies in the castle itself.

Some of the defenders had apparently barricaded the door from the inside to prevent monsters from entering the castle, and he appreciated that, but he still needed to get inside to make sure the Princess was all right. Link figured that if he did eventually get into the castle, more barricades and traps would await him.

Link chuckled ruefully. It would probably be somewhat like his first visit to the castle, when it had been under Ganondorf's control.

Suddenly, he stopped. His final showdown with Ganon hadn't been his first visit to the castle. On two previous occasions, he had gotten in another way!

Cursing the fact that he hadn't thought of it sooner, Link dashed back into the city and ran as fast as he could to Jovani's house.

* * *

Telma aimed another rocket and let loose. This one caught a Darknut in the chestplate, exploding immediately. The creature howled with rage as it toppled over backwards into the moat and sank out of sight. The defenders had succeeded in forcing the southern gate of the city open again, but a steady stream of enemies had been attacking and keeping them from escaping with the civilians.

The bartender sighed. She was running out of rockets, and there didn't seem to be any end in sight. She wasn't a military commander, but she could see that the invaders far outnumbered the defenders. Their one advantage was gone; the enemy army had made it inside their defenses.

Although, they might have a fighting chance. There were rumors that the Hero had been spotted fighting in the streets. Not to mention the seemingly unstoppable Arnak, who was practically an army by himself.

Telma felt a hand on her arm. It was Rusl. "I'm beginning to think that it's time to retreat. We can either try to get everyone who is in the bar out through the south gate, or we can try to hide them in the old waterways."

Ashei spoke up. "I vote for the waterways. There are only a few entrances, so they'll be easy to defend, yeah?"

Telma sighed. "It'll also be easy for them to trap us in there. I say we clear a path to the gate and try to get everybody to Kakariko or Ordon."

Rusl rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. "So far, most of the invaders only seem interested in getting into buildings. They've mostly been leaving citizens in the streets alone. It's almost like they're looking for something."

"They are."

The three turned at the voice. It was the Hero of Twilight, Link, dressed in a suit of red-and-gold armor. Rusl stepped forward and extended his hand, and the Hero shook it, nodding to the others.

"When did you get here?" Ashei asked.

"A couple of hours ago. I've been trying to get inside the castle to make sure the Princess is all right, but it's locked up tight, so I need to use the passage in the bar. I tried Jovani's house, but he seems to have barricaded himself in there." Link sheathed his sword and wiped some of the rain off his face with one gloved hand.

"I'll go with you." Rusl said. "Auru went through there a little while ago, so we might meet up with him in the tunnels."

Telma thought for a minute. "Waterways it is. We'll all go. Help me barricade the bar."

The four blocked off the outside of the door with assorted debris, including part of the wrecked gate, and reinforced it as best they could until they were sure it would adequately slow down any enemies. They climbed in through the window, which Link demolished behind them with a massive iron ball he produced from somewhere and blocked off with more debris from inside the bar; pots, chairs, and a table that was handed up to him. The group helped each other drop down to the main part of the bar, filled to bursting with people all anxiously murmuring to each other in a cacophony of worriment and fear.

"Snazzy armor you've got there, Link. Where'd you get it?" Telma rapped a knuckle on his shoulder plate as they made their way across the bar to the secret passage.

Link looked at her with the slightest glint of humor in his eyes, and with a perfectly straight face said "Malo Mart."

To the entire group's astonishment, Ashei hummed a bit of the Malo Mart song. She looked over at them and gave the minutest of smiles.

"You think you know some people..." Telma shook her head as she pressed her way through the crush of people packed into her bar.

The group quietly discussed the plan until they felt it was ready, and Telma climbed up onto the counter and began trying to get everyone's attention. Her first few attempts went unheard because of the sheer level of noise in the room, so she brought her fingers to her lips and whistled sharply.

"QUIET!!" She was rewarded with silence, and the people looked up at her. "All right, everybody, we're going to leave the bar for a safer place."

This was met by anxious murmurs.

She continued. "Now, we're going to go one group at a time, so everybody divide into three equal groups. The Hero is going to go ahead by himself to make sure the way is safe."

This time the reaction was a somewhat awed hush from the crowd as they realized who the man in the golden armor was. Link simply gave a nod.

Telma gestured at the young woman standing next to her. "The first group will be going with Ashei here." Ashei raised her hand to let the crowd know who she was. "The next group is going with Rusl." A wave from him. "And the last group will be going with me. I'm Telma, in case you don't know me. Let's get started, okay?" She stepped down from the counter and moved through the crowd, getting them organized.

The group leaders randomly selected who would be with them, trying to keep couples and families together. Once they got the crowd divided into thirds, they assigned several people in each group to watch out for the others, and some to carry supplies, most being from Telma's stores, since most of the people hadn't brought anything with them. The group was confident that the whole crowd would make it to a secluded but defensible area of the waterways where they could wait out the battle.

Telma propped a ladder against the wall near the secret passage and Link scrambled up it, pausing at the top. After a final wave to the crowd, who cheered, he ducked into the passage and was gone.

Telma sent the first group in ten minutes later.

* * *

Link bashed the gigantic spider with his shield, thrusting his sword into its eye cluster. It hissed and spat, making all kinds of horrible noises until he withdrew his sword and whirled it over his head, building momentum for the killing blow. When it fell, the Skulltula puffed into smoke, which swirled about the steps they had fought on.

Hadn't he killed all of these things the last time he'd been through here?

He'd been a wolf then, trapped in his bestial form by Zant's curse. As frustrated as he had been, his frustration had been overcome with worry for Midna.

Zant had forcibly held her in physical form as the Light Spirit Lanayru returned light to an area Zant had temporarily covered in Twilight. Her people were unable to stand the atmosphere of the Light World, and being forced into it without any protection had wounded Midna gravely.

Fortunately, Lanayru had noticed this, and teleported them both away, telling Link to find Princess Zelda. Link had ventured into the castle waterways in his attempt to get back to the series of passages that had led him to his first meeting with the Princess.

It had been very difficult for him to battle the Skulltulas and other assorted monsters while making sure Midna stayed on his back, her grip slowly weakening as her strength ebbed.

Link jerked himself back to the present with a shake of his head. This was not the time for reminiscing, but seeing Midna again, however briefly, had distracted him. He had to clear the path for the civilians and also keep an eye out for the portal, and this would require his full attention.

As he lit the various torches in the room he was in, Link wondered where the man the Sages had shown him was. He hadn't had the opportunity to ask anyone if they'd seen someone matching that description. This man had in his possession the Triforce of Power, one of the most powerful items in Hyrule, if not the entire world, so it was vitally important that he be found.

Link saw a lantern up ahead, and he took out his own lantern, so the other person would know that he wasn't a monster. Although, Poes were only visible to humans by the lanterns they carried. But he hadn't seen any Poes at all since he'd defeated sixty of them for Jovani.

The Hero squinted through the darkness, trying to make out the figure. He switched back to his Hero's Clothes, confident that he'd destroyed all the monsters down here. Plus, the Magic Armor was heavy, and he was getting tired from all his exertions today.

Link spotted a silhouette, and once he got close enough, he could tell that the other person was Auru. The older man had set his lantern on a pile of rubble and was digging a hole in a patch of bare ground. Link recognized the spot as the place he had dug through as a wolf to reach the dungeons on his last trip here.

Auru paused as he saw Link and raised his hand in greeting. "Link, what are you doing here, my boy?"

"I need to get inside the castle, and all the other entrances are blocked off." the Hero answered. Link set down his lantern and dropped into the hole, holding out his hand for Auru's shovel. The older man gave it to him and eased himself out of the hole.

"I had come here to see what aid I might offer to the Princess, but I found that parts of the passage have been blocked off since I was last here." Auru frowned thoughtfully. "Of course, I haven't used this passage in years, but I doubt anyone else has, either. It's not the easiest way into the castle."

Link nodded as he stabbed the shovel down, and nearly lost his grip on it when it went all the way through, the dirt starting to shift in the hole. He jumped out and, equipping his Iron Boots, jumped back in. Link heard a crack, and stone shifting, and he jumped back out of the hole just as the bottom gave way and fell through, spilling dirt and stone down into the water below.

The two men peered over the edge of the hole. It was a pretty long drop, but there was fairly deep water under it. Ominously, there were several bodies floating in the water, most of them wearing the uniform of the Hyrule Soldiers.

Link dropped in without a word, fearing whose body he might find down there. As he hauled himself out of the water, looking around at the dank stone walls of the castle dungeons, he heard a splash, then another, louder one.

The closer splash had obviously been Auru, who was getting out of the water next to him. But where had the other one come from? Link moved over to the spiral staircase and looked up, his eyes darting about the tower. Just as he did, a Bulblin fell past him with a shriek and slammed into the stone, puffing into smoke.

A blue shape launched itself out of the water and flew a dozen feet over his head, followed by another one. Link and Auru looked at each other for a moment, exchanging questioning looks, then nodded and started up the stairs.

Link noted that the staircase had been mostly repaired, which was good, since he couldn't jump as far as a human as he could as a wolf. The last time he had been through here, the crumbling staircase had been missing several large pieces he'd been forced to leap over with the agility of his wolf form, and he'd nearly fallen a few times even then.

Link and Auru charged up the staircase, hearing battle noises echoing ahead. They rounded the last stretch of the curving stairs, and Link stopped in surprise at what he saw.

Princess Zelda, her dress torn in several places, was fighting four Bulblins at once, and winning. Her movements were fluid and graceful, like she was performing some sort of deadly dance. Her every movement seemed choreographed, without a single misstep. Her sword flashed as she twirled it artfully, slashing and stabbing. He found himself fascinated by her fighting style. Link realized that he hadn't ever actually seen the Princess wield her sword in combat before. She had helped him in his battle against Ganondorf, but she hadn't used a sword; she'd had a bow.

Link was so caught up in watching the Princess that it took him a few seconds to notice the three Zoras and two soldiers fighting more Bulblins next to her. He threw himself into the fight, using all the skills he had learned to finish off the remaining enemies quickly.

The group of fighters stood there for a few moments, catching their breath. Princess Zelda was the first to speak.

"Hero, it is good that you are here. How is the battle outside going?" Her warm grey eyes held a hint of pain, but her face was neutral. Link thought she might be wounded somewhere, and there was blood on her dress, but he wasn't sure how much of it was hers. There was a trail of dried blood on her face from a minor cut on her forehead, but he thought there might be a more serious wound somewhere else.

Link bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty, I am afraid it is not going well. From what I have seen, the enemy force far outnumbers us." He sighed. "Unless the Zoras can help us turn the tide, it may be time to evacuate the city."

The Princess sat down, wincing slightly. "Some of our commanders have told me the same thing. What do our Zora friends have to say on the matter?"

One of the aquatic beings stepped forward. "First off, Your Majesty, King Ralis sends his regards." Zelda nodded in acknowledgment. "Second, we have reviewed the battlefield and I have to say that I agree with the Hero. Your city is all but taken. We will cover your retreat, if that is your decision."

"I also advise evacuation, Your Grace." Auru said. "We can return at a later time to take back the castle, but now we must get the people to safety."

Zelda folded her hands in thought. "I do not wish to give up so easily. But I also do not want to throw away the lives of our defenders in a fruitless endeavor. This is a difficult decision."

Link gave voice to something that had been bothering him for a while. "Princess, how did the battle start? And why are all the drawbridges down?"

The Zoras perked at this. They had obviously been wondering, too.

Zelda straightened her tiara in her light brown hair, sighing quietly before beginning. "It started very suddenly. It was raining, and thick thunderclouds covered the sky. Explosions started in all parts of the city, and shortly afterwards, I saw many unfamiliar creatures flying over the city, dropping bombs.

"I gave the order to raise the drawbridges and man the towers, but the flying creatures swarmed the gates and forced the bridges back down. Once they were down and the gates forced open, the infantry of Darknuts and Bulblins came into the city. We attempted to mount a defense, but the suddenness of the attack and the overwhelming numbers of the enemy were in their favor.

"When I realized that the battle might be lost, I called the Hero to come and bring whatever reinforcements he could find. I am thankful that you could bring the Zoras, but they may have come too late."

Zelda stood, clasping her hands behind her back. "I have reached my decision. It is time for all to flee to safety. I will tell what soldiers we still have to help the Zoras cover our retreat."

The three Zoras nodded smartly and left, promising to spread the word. They dove right off the edge of landing, down to the pool of water at the bottom of the stairs.

The two soldiers also started to leave, but the Princess stopped one of them. "Please tell my father's bodyguards to take him to Ordon. It is a small village south of Faron Woods. It is fairly out of the way, and he should be safe there." The man nodded and they left.

Link knew that Princess Zelda's father, the King, was very old and unable to rule anymore. But, since he had never formally abdicated, the laws of Hyrule dictated that he was the official ruler of the kingdom until he died. Zelda ruled in his name, but everyone knew she was the Queen in all but title, and had been for several years. Until her father died, however, she had to be addressed as Princess.

Zelda turned to Link. "Hero, might you be looking for the portal in the dungeons?"

"How did you know?" Link was surprised.

The Princess smiled slightly. "I perceived the vision the Sages gave you. Also, palace rumors have held for years that there is some sort of gateway to another world in the dungeon, among other things. I believe I know of a few likely places."

Zelda started to make her way down the staircase, indicating that Link and Auru should follow her.

* * *

Arnak slashed at a rat without even looking at it. He cut the creature neatly in half and kept going.

He'd been wandering around in the castle dungeons for what seemed like hours, and while he had a vague sense of where he was, the big man was not entirely certain he could quickly find his way back to the entrance.

Arnak had accidentally found his way into the waterways some time earlier, while pursuing a group of Bulblins. After getting thoroughly lost in the maze of tunnels, he had followed voices until he reached the encampment of refugees that had formerly been hiding in Telma's Bar.

The civilians had been excited to see him, but the big man had been uncomfortable with their praise. Had they no warriors among them save the one they called the Hero?

Telma had explained to Arnak privately that she intended to have Rusl and Ashei help her train the civilians in combat, and eventually fight their way out of the city if the army lost the battle. Arnak had helped her fortify the camp a little before leaving to secure the surrounding area. He was also looking for Link, whom Telma had told him was in the area somewhere.

At some point during his explorations, he had fallen into a hole he hadn't seen, and had been attempting to find his way out ever since.

Another crazed rat sprang at him. Arnak simply backhanded it into a wall, which it met with crushing force.

Arnak became aware of an odd electrical crackling near him. He stopped. Listening carefully, he started towards the noise. As he got closer to the sound, he noticed that the bats and rodents were acting stranger, and he had to fight off more of them.

The noise got louder and louder as Arnak drew closer. He sped up, not even noticing that some of the rats were already dead, and smoking as if burned.

Readying his sword in case whatever was making the noise was hostile, he sprang around the corner.

What he saw made Arnak stop so quickly that he almost fell down.

* * *

As they journeyed through the tunnels, Link noticed a strange, almost familiar crackling sound. Zelda met his eyes with a questioning look on her face. She, too, had heard the noise.

Auru stopped suddenly, and held up a hand, calling for silence. He waved Link closer, then pointed around the corner, imitating a sword being drawn.

Link nodded, sliding his Ordon sword slowly out of its scabbard. He pressed himself against the wall, making as little noise as he could.

He could hear voices now, barely. It sounded like they were arguing. One of the voices was an unfamiliar man, deep, with a foreign accent. He couldn't quite make out the words, but the tone was challenging.

Link froze when the other voice started talking. It was also deep, but with a slightly gravelly inflection. He'd only heard this voice a few times before, but he would know it anywhere.

Ganondorf.

* * *

Author's note: Please review honestly. Constructive criticism is appreciated.(Chapter originally posted 7/24/07, revised and expanded 3/28/08) I didn't do a lot to this chapter besides expanding some of the descriptions, but I did change some dialogue and alter some of the wording so that the chapter flows a little more smoothly. I also put the flashback in italics at the suggestion of one of the readers, to avoid confusion.


	4. The Monster and the Portal

Four

Fado opened the curtains a crack and looked outside. Still raining. It had been raining for the last six hours and didn't look like it would let up anytime soon.

The rancher sighed and sat back in his chair. At least he'd gotten the goats in before they got too wet. He'd lost four this year to some weird illness that he and Link had never seen before. It hadn't spread to the other animals, but they were both concerned that it might come back. They still hadn't figured out what the disease was or where it came from.

Thinking about his friend made Fado smile. Link had gone from being a ranch hand in a sleepy mountain village to Hero, famous throughout all of Hyrule, in only a few months! Now that was impressive.

As he thought about it, it wasn't all that surprising that Link became the Hero. He'd always been tough, and quick. Fado remembered the time he and Link had driven off a cougar that had tried to make a meal out of one of their goats. Link had fought the thing practically by himself, with only a wooden sword as a weapon.

Fado wondered if Link had ever battled the huge gray-and-white wolf that had been spotted in the village and the nearby forest a couple of times. It was always by itself, and while it seemed utterly unafraid of anyone, it did avoid any people it saw. It might have once been someone's pet, since it was the only wolf Fado had ever seen with earrings.

The rancher wondered what sort of person would have a gigantic wolf as a pet. Maybe a bandit king, or a pirate! Fado wondered if the Hero of Twilight had ever met a pirate.

Or was it Hero of Light? He'd heard both terms used to describe Link, but the Hero himself had never expressed a particular fondness for either term. He mostly just asked people to call him by his name.

Fado's train of thought was abruptly derailed by pounding on his door. He got to his feet and went over to open it.

A Hyrule soldier stood there, a cloak draped over his armor against the rain. "Finally, someone at home. Could you direct me to the leader of your village?"

Fado eyed the man suspiciously, trying to make out the other shapes behind him. There were several more people, and a larger, dark shape he couldn't quite identify. "What's this about?" he asked.

The man was wearing a helmet, but Fado could have sworn he rolled his eyes. He muttered something that sounded like "foolish peasant" and gestured imperiously behind him, the chain-mail he wore jingling with the movement. Fado could just barely make out the silhouette of a wagon of some kind. At a wave from the soldier, it rolled a little closer, and Fado could see the royal seal emblazoned on the front.

"It concerns your king!"

* * *

Arnak struggled to breathe. He was laying on the ground, having just landed after being smashed into a wall. He felt like he was on fire, and he twitched uncontrollably. He'd never been hit by lightning before, and he sincerely wished he'd never experience it again.

He heard a low, gravelly chuckle. Arnak was lifted into the air again by some kind of invisible force, and he felt the rush of air as he flew across the room at one of the walls of the chamber. The crushing force of impact rattled every bone in his body.

Arnak tasted the metallic tang of blood. He spat out a mouthful, unsteadily climbing to his feet. He had no idea where his sword was, so he brought up his hands. Arnak, son of Tyraj, would not be leaving this world without a fight!

Although, he thought, he really couldn't see a way to fight a giant ball of energy.

His opponent was an enormous, crackling, spherical energy mass with a face that looked like it belonged on a demon. It sneered at him, seeming to consider the best way to eradicate this puny obstacle.

Arnak knew the only reason he wasn't dead right now was because of the power housed in him. He'd taken a beating that surely would have killed a normal man, and he wasn't sure if he would last much longer, anyway, power or not.

He noticed a figure starting to creep its way around the corner, and, hoping it an ally and not another enemy, he decided to try and distract the creature.

"You'll have to do better than that to kill me, you half-witted son of a pig! If you had a liver, I would cut it out and feed it to my dog!" Arnak winced, and it had nothing to do with his injuries. It wasn't the best taunt, but it was all he could come up with on short notice.

His taunt was effective, apparently, because the energy-ball monster roared with rage. Arnak felt himself lifting into the air again, but was abruptly dropped to the hard stone floor as something else drew the monster's attention.

An unearthly scream of pure hate and malice tore its way out of the monster, the sound echoing off the damp stone walls of the chamber. Arnak lifted his head to see what had provoked such a reaction.

It was a young man, perhaps eighteen or twenty, clothed in green, with an odd-shaped hat of the same color. The young man hefted the sword in his hand and readied his shield, a determined expression on his face.

The monster hurled bolt after bolt of energy at the man, who leaped and dodged with an incredible display of skill and agility. He blocked some bolts with his shield, and was even hit by one, but he jumped back up and kept running around the edge of the chamber, diverting the monster's attention.

While the monster was occupied, a young woman and an old man came running over to Arnak and helped him to his feet. The green-clad warrior continued to distract the monster as they half-ran, half-dragged Arnak out of sight, just beyond the chamber's entrance.

They gently laid the big man on the floor, and the young woman looked him over for injuries. The last thing Arnak thought before he slipped into unconsciousness was how much the woman looked like his wife, and how much he missed her.

* * *

Zelda ripped a strip of cloth off of her already shredded dress and used it to dab away some of the blood that was on the big man's face. He looked like he'd been through hell and clawed his way back out again. His clothes were blackened and scorched in several places, and he had innumerable small cuts and wounds everywhere on his body.

As Zelda moved her hand to check a particularly deep cut on his arm, her Triforce of Wisdom suddenly lit up. She moved his arm, and another Triforce appeared on the back of his right hand, the top triangle glowing the brightest.

So, this was the man the Sages had mentioned, the new bearer of the Triforce of Power. Zelda wondered what qualities this man possessed that made the gods want to give him such a powerful artifact. He had physical strength, obviously, but she didn't think that was the sole reason.

She could hear the sounds of Link fighting the energy-monster, which was presumably Ganondorf. There was something... off about it though, like it was only a part of Ganon, or some of him was missing, somehow. He felt... diminished, and much, much weaker than when he had first battled Link while she had watched. The Princess wondered how Ganondorf was still alive, when the Triforce of Power had left him, and therefore he should not still possess the immortality Power granted its bearer.

That didn't matter right now, as he was obviously still alive, and was attacking Link with ferocious speed and violence. Zelda wasn't sure how to fight him in this form, though, as only Midna had ever done so, and she had lost.

Zelda thought back to that battle, and particularly remembered Midna's odd, resigned smile as she prepared to battle the Dark Lord, as if she knew she might not survive, but was going to fight him anyway. That had stuck with Zelda all this time, and it was a quality she often thought about.

Remembering the battles of that momentous day and her own role in them gave Zelda an idea. She called for Link to throw her his bow, which he did as he dodged another energy bolt hurled by the monster. Ganon continued to ignore her, directing all of his fury at the Hero.

Concentrating deeply, the Princess willed a quiver full of Light Arrows into being. They were among the most powerful weapons that could be wielded by mortals, and had nearly as much effect on Shadow-tainted beings as the Master Sword. Zelda strung one of the golden arrows, and pulled back on Link's bow, lining her shot up on the monster. She let her arrow fly, and it blasted Ganon with innumerable bolts of golden energy on impact.

The Ganon-monster howled in rage and pain, the face on the energy ball swiveling in her direction.

Zelda aimed another three arrows between the eyes on the face and let go of the bowstring. They flew straight and true, hitting the Ganon-monster in what seemed to be a vulnerable area. He shrieked again, and hurled a bolt of energy at her, but Zelda dodged it, rolling away from the blast and coming up with another arrow nocked.

He came closer and closer, but Zelda peppered him with Light Arrows relentlessly. Finally, the energy-monster began to dissolve, screaming and snarling as the energy from the Light Arrows burned into him and he slowly shrank out of existence. The creature did not vanish from Zelda's senses, however, and she felt it moving away, fleeing rapidly until it passed out of her perceptions.

When it was gone, Link came over to where Zelda was crouched and sat down against the wall, breathing heavily. Zelda noticed a scorch mark on his chest where one of the bolts had hit him, but he waved her hands away, saying he was fine.

"I hate to say this," the Hero said, "but I don't think we've seen the last of him."

Zelda agreed. "Indeed, Hero. I sensed that he was not destroyed, but merely further weakened. I am uncertain that it was Ganondorf, or all of him, anyway. He felt much weaker than the last time we encountered him."

"What was he doing down here, I wonder?" Auru said, looking up from tending to the Bearer of Power's wounds.

Link indicated a stone doorway, intricately carved with swirling lines and unfamiliar runes, set into the far wall of the chamber they were in. "Maybe he was looking for that. Do you think that's the portal you were telling us about, Princess?"

As if on cue, the doorway crackled to life as Zelda was answering, the swirling lines and runes flaring with a phosphorescent blue-green light, a vortex of energy of the same color forming inside the doorway.

Everyone except the unconscious man tensed, waiting to see if someone -or something- would step through.

* * *

Midna, Princess of the Twilight Realm, was fighting for her life. She was trying to get past a monstrous Shadow Guardian, and was not succeeding.

After much searching, she had finally found the portal to the Light Realm, only to discover it was being guarded by an enormous, incredibly powerful beast.

This was a good thing and a bad thing.

The good thing was, it didn't look like a creature of Ganon's, nor was it a natural animal of her world. This could only mean that the gods had placed it here to keep anyone from using the secondary entrance to the Twilight Realm when her ancestors were banished here.

The bad thing was, it wouldn't let her leave the room it was in, either. Its instructions were apparently to kill anything and everything that entered the portal chamber, to keep its existence a secret.

After her shared vision with Link, Midna had organized search parties to scour the Palace of Twilight for any secret rooms or tunnels. Her instructions had been that if anyone found such a chamber, they were not to enter it and were to come find her instead. Elsewhere in the Twilight World, the Twili were combing other ancient buildings for the portal.

Unfortunately for Midna, she had disobeyed her own instructions and entered this chamber by herself, armed only with her magic. The Twilight Princess had thought this merely another forgotten storage room, and in case it held secrets of the royal family only she should be privy to, she had told her guards to wait outside. The door to this chamber had slammed closed as soon as she entered it, and the monster had attacked her immediately thereafter. Midna had then discovered that even the considerable powers of the true ruler of the Twili were ineffectual against this creature, whatever it was.

The Shadow Guardian was roughly humanoid, about three times her size, with gigantic, long-fingered hands that ended in razor-sharp claws. Its massive body was covered in gray armored scales that were overlaid with the swirling, geometrical, blue-green markings that adorned her people, buildings and much else in the Twilight Realm.

The monster stomped closer, and despite her attempt to dodge, it slashed at Midna again, further shredding her robe and back with its claws. The force of the blow sent her skidding across the floor to come to a stop against the door. She could hear her guards pounding on the door, trying to get in and help their Princess, but the barrier would not budge.

Midna had noticed one good thing about the Guardian. It seemed to have very poor eyesight, and it reacted only when she moved suddenly. The creature swivelled its massive head back and forth, sniffing. It turned away from her, apparently not noticing her lying slumped against the wall.

The Twilight Princess noticed a streak of silver-blue on the floor in front of her. Reaching back, she couldn't help gasping in pain when she felt the gashes in her back. The creature's huge head looked sharply in her direction, sniffed once, and slowly turned away again. Midna lay as still as she could, trying to stay quiet.

When she brought her fingers out in front of her again, they were sticky-wet with her blood. Midna wiped them off on what was left of her outer robe and pulled herself to her feet, gritting her teeth against the pain. She wished Link were here. He'd know what to do about this thing.

The Guardian was still sniffing around the far side of the room, at another place she had left blood on the floor. It had been knocking her around the room for nearly ten minutes now, and she knew she wouldn't last much longer if she didn't find some way to hurt the creature.

Midna tried to think what Link would do in this situation. She'd seen him fight a dozen creatures more monstrous than this one and come out on top. Even when he had been beaten almost to death by Ganondorf in their final duel, her friend had refused to give up.

He'd explained his fighting strategy to her once, at night as they looked at the stars while he prepared to go to sleep. Everything had a weakness, and there were no exceptions to this. Often, the thing's weakness was obvious, once you looked at it. But other times, it was so well-hidden that you were half-dead by the time you figured it out, and you had to hope you could exploit it before the monster killed you.

Midna had started looking for vulnerabilities whenever Link fought a titanic monster, so he could concentrate on staying alive until she figured it out. As they journeyed and battled together, they became more dependant on each other's strengths, making up for each other's weaknesses. They had formed the perfect fighting team, becoming virtually unstoppable by anything. She missed him terribly. But, she had made her decision, and now she had to live with it. At least she had gotten to see him again, in the vision.

Midna looked around the room, searching for any clues about what the Shadow Guardian's weakness might be. Its poor eyesight might be one, but she didn't know how that would be useful yet. Were there any items laying around that might hurt it? Oftentimes, the weapon or item that Link used to fight the final guardian of a temple or dungeon had been found in the area they were exploring. It often seemed suspiciously convenient, and she'd said so more than once, but Link would just shrug and say the gods must be looking out for him. Perhaps the deities of the Twilight Realm were looking out for her, too.

The only thing she saw were bones and scattered weapons and pieces of armor from the Shadow Guardian's other victims, not all of them looking like Twili bones, either. She could distinctly see a Triforce emblazoned on one of the shields, mangled and chewed on, but recognizable nonetheless. When had Hyrule sent soldiers through this portal? Even as a member of the royal family, Midna hadn't known about this place, and Zelda hadn't hinted that she knew about it, either. Knowing Link, if Zelda had told him about this portal, he would have come charging through without giving it a second thought after Midna shattered the Mirror of Twilight.

Wait, what was that? Was there a sword stuck in the creature? Midna dared to move a slow step closer, partially hiding herself behind a chunk of stone the Guardian had knocked out of the wall sometime previously.

Midna pulled off her shredded headdress, letting her orange hair spill free. She ripped the headdress and hood free of the rest of her robe, spending several tense moments pausing in silence as the monster looked over in her direction. Waiting for the opportune moment, she rubbed a bit of her blood on it, feeling the gashes in her back already starting to close, and continued to wait. It was a morbid solution, but Link would be proud.

When the monster finally faced away from her, Midna hurled the ruined head ornament into the far wall, hearing it strike the stone and hit the ground.

Just as she expected, the Shadow Guardian pounced on it, smelling blood. It stuffed the fabric into its mouth, shredding it even further with its wicked-looking teeth. It obviously wasn't a very smart beast, but that didn't make it any less dangerous. The angle it was standing gave her a better view of the sword protruding from the monster's backside.

Midna had to stop herself from gasping in surprise. It was the Master Sword!

As the creature turned a little further, she could see that she was wrong. The hilt and gem were the wrong color. It was shaped almost exactly the same, though. The Triforce marking was missing from the blade; in its place was inscribed a geometrical design that resembled the royal seal of her people.

The hilt was black and dark gray, the gem set into the crosspiece the same pale blue-green color as the glowing ceremonial markings Midna and the rest of the Twili bore. The sword was obviously Twili in origin, though its resemblance to the legendary Hylian sword was undeniable. Midna thought it odd that, as a member of the royal family, she had never heard of or been told about this sword before. She would have remembered something like this, since she'd had a passion for the history of her realm when she was younger.

Now that she thought about it, the room she was in looked almost exactly like the room Link had obtained the Master Sword in, albeit a Twili-designed version. It was circular, made of a light gray stone inlaid with many carvings, with a domed ceiling and blue-green glass windows that stretched up and met at the top of the dome. There was even a pedestal in the approximate center of the chamber shaped exactly like the Master Sword's resting place. This situation just got stranger and stranger. Midna knew she would definitely remember a Twili version of the Temple of Time.

Midna now knew what she must do. Knowing that it would attract the Shadow Guardian's attention, but deciding to do it anyway, she summoned a burst of restorative magic and used it on herself. This was last-resort magic, only to be used in the direst of emergencies because of its potency. Midna figured this qualified.

In a burst of blue-green light and a rush of sound, a beam of energy enveloped Midna for a few seconds, repairing all the damage her body had suffered in her battle with the Guardian. She would only be able to do this once, since it used up most of her energy, and would have to refrain from using magic for much else, lest she tire herself out.

Sure enough, the monster leaped toward her, snarling and clenching its enormous fists. Midna plotted the trajectory of its jump in her head as it flew, and rolled to her right slightly.

The Shadow Guardian came down with a bone-rattling impact in front of her, the sword almost right in front of her face. The Twilight Princess took hold of the hilt with both hands and pulled it out with a vicious jerk of her arms.

As the creature screeched in pain, Midna confirmed her theory. This was an almost exact copy of the Master Sword, right down to the simmering sense of power housed in it. Link had let her hold the Master Sword once, before she returned to the Twilight World. This sword was balanced perfectly, and seemed to weigh nothing at all, just like the Hylian weapon.

Even though she was not as skilled with a blade as Link, Midna could feel how perfect the sword was. She took a few practice swipes as the monster stumbled angrily in the wrong direction, searching for her.

It was almost as if this sword was designed exclusively for her, an opinion Link had once expressed about the Master Sword.

The name 'Twilight Blade' popped into her mind suddenly, and Midna felt a wave of power wash through her, the sword seeming to attune itself to her as it recognized her as its master. Link had spoken of a similar feeling when he removed the Master Sword from its pedestal, and now Midna knew exactly what he meant when he said it was an incredible thrill, an almost indescribable sense of power and energy.

With a fierce gleam in her eye, Midna leaped onto the Shadow Guardian's back and stabbed her new weapon into the fiend's eye, one of the few unarmored spots on its body.

She flew off of the monster and hovered in place just out of its reach, taunting it. When it tried to swipe at her with its claws, she slashed down with the Twilight Blade and was pleasantly surprised when it sliced a few of them off.

A dismayed sigh escaped her lips when they grew back almost instantly. Even the eye she had stabbed was healing at an accelerated rate. Midna muttered an angry curse under her breath. No wonder the previous wielder of this sword had died! There wasn't _any_ way to kill this abomination!

The Twilight Princess narrowed her eyes in thought as she flew up higher, resting on a ledge under one of the windows that was well out of the Guardian's reach. If she couldn't defeat the thing, she'd have to escape from the room somehow.

She swooped down, landing in front of the door by which she had entered the room. There were no visible handles or activation mechanisms on this side. Midna tried to get her fingers under the edge, but only succeeded in breaking a fingernail.

Frustrated, she kicked the door and smacked it with her sword. Only a flash of light from the Twilight Blade was the result.

Hearing slow, thumping footsteps behind her, Midna used her levitation abilities to fuel a long backflip over the Shadow Guardian's head as its fist came crashing down where she had been standing.

The tattered remnants of Midna's robe flapped and fluttered as she jumped back up to the ledge. Examining a minor cut on her arm that had slashed through the sleeve of her skintight top, she pulled the sleeve of her outer robe up a little to see how far the gash extended. It had sliced through the outer robe a little, also, and there was a thin line of silver-blue on the skin exposed by the cut. The wound itself was gone, obviously, but the dried blood remained.

Midna sighed quietly. Link had never been cut up like this by anything he had fought, though, in her defense, he had a shirt of chain-mail under his green tunic, and there was some sort of enchantment on the tunic itself that repaired any damage to the fabric almost instantly. If the enchantment did not exist, the distinctive green tunic would likely be a patchwork of stitching by now. She, of course, did not have such an enchantment on her clothes, and her robes of state hardly functioned as armor by any stretch of the imagination.

The Twilight Princess backed up a little on the stone ledge, expecting her back to hit the glass. She hit something, only this didn't feel like glass. It didn't feel like anything other than a subtle pressure against her back; intangible, but preventing her from moving any farther.

Some kind of force field, maybe?

Midna looked at the room again and, recalling its twin in the Light World, instantly knew what to do. It would take a bit of planning, and she would have to move quickly, but it could be done.

First, she struggled the rest of the way out of her shredded, blood-soaked outer robe, bunching the material in her hand. She flew over to where the Shadow Guardian was, and let the garment flutter to the ground near the Guardian's head, her skirt swishing about her legs as she flew up out of range again. The brute tore into the garment, thinking she was still in it, and she took immediate advantage of its distraction.

Midna rocketed toward the pedestal at the center of the room and jammed the Twilight Blade into it. As expected, a set of translucent stairs flared into existence up to the ledge she had been sitting on before, and the window vanished, revealing a doorway swirling with energy. Grinning in satisfaction, Midna pulled her newfound sword out of the pedestal and ran up the stairs, managing to get most of the way up before the Guardian realized her deception and came charging after her.

The Twilight Princess didn't look back, but she could hear the panting and snorting of the creature, and could practically feel its breath on her back. She just kept moving, half-running, half-flying towards the portal, her only means of escape from this monster.

She was just beginning to feel the beast's fingers close around her when she jumped headlong through the glowing portal, hoping some measure of safety waited on the other side.

* * *

Shad wasn't hiding. He was seeking shelter. Yes, that's what he was doing. He was securing this location against attack.

Oh, who was he kidding? He was bloody cowering in the ruins of the sodding doctor's office.

Shad almost smiled as he heard his father's voice in his head, reprimanding him for using that kind of language.

The smile vanished when he saw a pair of booted feet walk over to the pile of rubble he was barely concealed in, and stop. They were not leather boots, nor were they human-sized. They were metal, and freakishly large, not possibly belonging to anything friendly. Shad kept himself as still as possible, hardly daring to breathe.

The scholar heard a strange noise, almost like sniffing or extremely deep breathing muffled by a metal helmet. He kept close watch on the golden metal boots as they walked around what remained of Doctor Borville's office, a gigantic sword occasionally coming into view to poke a few of the piles of wreckage. It was probably a Darknut, one of the freakishly large armored warriors that had invaded the city.

Next, Shad heard a flapping noise, and feet that looked like they belonged to a man-sized bird dropped into view. He could tell that the bird-thing was considerably shorter than the armored giant.

The scholar heard a deep, growling voice that sounded like it was accustomed to shouting orders. He assumed it belonged to the larger being. "Do you have something to report, or are you just bothering me?"

Shad thought the nasally, high-pitched voice belonged to the bird-man. Or at least, he hoped it did. "We haven't found any portal in any of the buildings. And we've searched all of them. There were some townspeople giving some of your men a hassle down on the eastern part of the south road, but they reported to me that all the defenders are gone now."

"Run away like rats, probably. What else have you got, besides things I knew half an hour ago? Have your idiots managed to get the castle doors open yet?" The owner of the enormous metal boots shifted slightly, his tone impatient.

"Don't use that tone with me. You and I are joint commanders on this mission." The bird-man was indignant, and Shad thought it was probably used to being addressed with more respect.

"When you kill something without sneaking up on it first, let me know. Otherwise, shut your beak or tell me something useful!"

Shad could practically hear the bird-man seething. "Well, that horrid Bulblin leader said he'd been in there once before, so he's leading that assault. Your brutes are still pillaging the buildings. I don't know how much actual searching they're doing."

The Darknut commander chuckled at this, an unpleasant sound that Shad had to keep himself from shuddering at. "My boys deserve a bonus. After all, they're doing all the work."

The bird-man squawked in outrage. "You never would have gotten the city gates open if we weren't here!" The taloned feet lifted themselves up on tip-toes. "Plus, we bombed out most of the defenders before you idiots clanked across the bridges!"

The taloned feet disappeared entirely. From choking sounds he heard, Shad thought that the Darknut might have grabbed the bird-man by the throat. "If you insult me or my men like that again, I will snap your little cucco neck in half. Is that understood?"

Apparently it was, because the taloned feet reappeared and Shad heard wheezing. "Lord Kyron will hear of this, Jotun."

Jotun, the Darknut commander, simply chuckled nastily at this and stomped out of sight.

A few moments later, the bird-man flew away, muttering insults.

Shad shook his head in wonderment. If his friend Link had heard that information, he might have been able to do something about it. But Shad the scholar couldn't make heads or tails of it. Who was Lord Kyron? And the Darknuts were organized? That contradicted what Shad thought he knew about them. More importantly, who were these bird-men, and what did they want with Castle Town? He'd heard the bird-man mention something about a portal, but that didn't make sense to Shad.

At least he'd managed to tell the Zoras about the invasion of Castle Town. They had brought him along in a harrowing trip down Zora's River, emerging into the castle moat, but somehow in the confusion of battle, he'd gotten separated from the battle group he was with and had wandered the streets of the city, looking for a place to hide until the battle was over.

Shad reminded himself that he was formidable, as he'd once said to Link. At book reading. It wasn't anything to scoff at, he told himself. His knowledge could be just as useful as a sword.

A fat lot of good all his knowledge did him cowering under a pile of mortar and bricks!

Suddenly emboldened, not caring if any enemies were about, Shad scrambled out of his hiding place and picked up a sword from a fallen Hyrule soldier that lay nearby, trying to ignore the corpse. He moved off through the streets, not really hoping to meet any enemies, but not intending to run from them if he did. He was not a coward! He needed to be strong, and bold, like Link and the rest of his friends, not shirking from a fight.

Without any warning whatsoever, Shad felt a pair of hands grab him under the arms and lift him into the air. He heard his sword clatter to the cobblestones below, but he was too surprised to make any noise himself. The scholar was dropped onto a wooden beam that ran over the street, and he held onto it with both hands.

As his mind whirled, trying to figure out what was happening, Shad looked up and saw a man, dressed all in black, with a mask covering his face and a sword on his back crouching on the beam. One thing Shad noticed about the man were his eyes, about the only detail of his face visible through the mask. They were notable only in the fact that they were ordinary human eyes, but with red irises, a certainly uncommon color.

The black-clad man held a gloved finger to his masked lips, pointing downwards with his other hand. They both looked down and saw a trio of Darknuts walk underneath their hiding place, looking around suspiciously. The armored giants never looked up, though.

Once they were gone, Shad found his voice again. "Who-"

"Quiet." The man's whispered reply was forceful, as he pointed below them again.

A squad of Bulblins walked beneath them, and one of them did look up.

Shad saw the man tense as he pulled a throwing knife out of his boot. The ugly little creature looked back down again, apparently not noticing them. His captor/rescuer relaxed and put away the knife.

The man's crimson eyes fixed their gaze on Shad. "Is there a man called Link in this city? He might have this sword with him." The black-covered man produced a scrap of paper with a drawing of the Master Sword on it out of a pocket, holding it up for Shad to see.

"Who are you?" the scholar asked.

"Answer the question." the strange man demanded, his tone impatient.

"But why do you-"

"Answer... the question. Now." His tone was slightly threatening now, and Shad shrank back from his glare.

"Well, yes, he's in the city as far as I know, but he doesn't have that sword anymore." Perhaps if he answered the man's questions, he would leave him alone.

The man glared at him. "What do you mean? Where is the Master Sword?"

Shad steadied himself on the beam. "He put it back in the Sacred Grove after he defeated Ganondorf with it. Now why are you-"

The man interrupted him again. "And you know where this Sacred Grove is in relation to this city?"

Shad was starting to get irritated with this fellow interrupting him all the time. Who did he think he was, anyway? Sneaking around the city in black pajamas, snatching people off the streets to ask them questions without waiting for the answers. He was certainly a rude fellow, that was for sure.

"Well, yes. I've been there a few times." The scholar adjusted his glasses, looking over at the black-clad man and suspecting what he was going to say next.

The man grabbed his arm, pulling Shad to his feet on the narrow beam. "Then we're going there. Come on."

Shad's irritation came to a boil. He wasn't going to let this stranger push him around anymore. "Now just a minute, you. What makes you think you can just go around abducting people and asking them odd questions like you're some kind of-"

The man waved his hand, interrupting Shad. "I don't have time for this. I realize this is sudden, but what I'm doing is important. How fast can we get to the Sacred Grove and back here?"

"If you ride fast, maybe a day." Shad was trying to encourage the man that he didn't need a guide. If he could just get the man to leave, he could go find Link and warn him that someone was looking for him. What the stranger wanted with the Master Sword was a concern for a later time.

The man in black seemed to think for a moment, his jaw working under his mask. "Is it near any Spirit's Springs?"

"Well, yes. It's near Faron Spring, in the north part of the woods there. The entrance to the grove is near an old temple deep in the forest. You can probably find the temple from the forest path." Hopefully those directions were detailed enough for the strange man, and he would leave now.

Shad was about to climb off the beam when he noticed an odd blue flash on the back of the other man's right hand. To his horror, the scholar felt himself start to disintegrate. His last thought before his form lost coherence was that the man in black seemed to be doing the same thing.

* * *

Midna rolled to her feet on the other side of the portal, bringing up her sword in case the Guardian followed her through. She was vaguely aware of other people in the room, but that didn't matter right now. Her first concern was making sure the creature stayed on the other side of the portal.

The creature's razor-clawed hand reached out of the doorway, flailing blindly. Midna slashed it with the Twilight Blade, hoping to distract it while she looked for a way to close the portal. The monster's head was still in the Twilight Realm, so she didn't hear the howl of pain, but she was sure there was one.

Another sword flashed next to her, doing little to the creature but annoy it. The blade was only ordinary steel, and therefore did nothing to the Shadow Guardian's tough skin. The hand was even now healing from the wound the Twilight Blade had given it, and it swiped in the direction of her unexpected ally.

Out of the corner of her eye, Midna saw that the hilt of the sword looked very familiar. So did the leather gauntlet on the arm holding it. She flicked her gaze at the other person briefly, but all she got was a flash of green before the Guardian's massive hand flailed at her again and Midna returned her full attention to it. The other sword struck the monster's hand again in unison with the Twilight Blade, and the hand began to retreat.

A stone door slammed down over the portal as the Guardian withdrew its arm. It let its quarry go, apparently settling for trapping Midna on the other side.

The Twilight Princess stared at the door for a few moments, marveling at her narrow escape, then turned to look at her ally.

It was, as she thought, Link. Midna dropped her sword and wrapped the Hero in a tight embrace, which he returned wholeheartedly.

* * *

Author's note: As always, be honest when reviewing. I like to know how I can improve my work. (Chapter originally posted 8/17/07, revised and expanded 3/30/08) I made several expansions in this chapter, and changed some dialogue and some of the wording, particularly in the sections from Shad and Midna's points of view. I also made some clarifications so that it agrees with the rest of the story a little more, since I changed some things in my outline between when I first posted this and some of the later chapters. Hopefully the story ties together a little more now, and I'll be further clarifying things in upcoming chapters, so that the story is a little less confusing.


	5. Discussions

Five

Ilia, Beth, Colin, and Talo watched the soldiers move the King into Mayor Bo's Sumo training room, the biggest room in the house. It had been decided that His Majesty and his entourage would stay in Ordona Province until Castle Town had been retaken.

At the town meeting, the soldiers had told the horrified residents of Ordon about the siege and the battle. When Uli nervously inquired about her husband Rusl, one of the King's guards said that he had seem him defending Telma's Bar and that he had last been seen escorting civilians inside. She and Colin were glad that he was helping, but they -and the rest of the people of Ordon- were still worried about him.

In the middle of the meeting, Ilia had inquired about Link, and whether he had been present at the battle. The meeting had erupted with noise as the other townspeople demanded an answer. The small mountain community was very proud that the current Hero was from Ordon, and the residents were always anxious to hear news about him.

They were happy to hear that Link had been seen fighting monsters in the streets of Castle Town and rescuing civilians. The last person in the King's group to see him was one of Princess Zelda's bodyguards, who had reported that the Hero had helped defend the Princess against an attack, and was presumably still with her.

Ilia stood aside as a progression of servants moved in and out of the Sumo room, removing her father's furnishings and making the room suitable for the King to stay in.

"Why do they gotta put all this junk in here, anyway? Isn't the room just fine like it is?" Talo gestured at the seemingly endless line of servants carrying boxes into the Sumo room.

Beth scoffed and rolled her eyes. "No, dummy, it isn't. The King's going to live here, and it needs to look like somewhere a king would live. Don't you know anything?"

Ilia drew the children out of the way, up onto the staircase that led to her room. "There's no need to call him names, Beth."

"Why'd the King come to Ordon, anyway? I know some bad guys attacked the castle and all, but why did he pick _here_ to go?" Talo continued to watch the servants.

Ilia did her best to explain. "Well, the soldiers at the meeting told us all about it. Princess Zelda told them to bring the King here, because he needs to be protected, and Ordon isn't likely to be attacked, since it's fairly small and out of the way."

"So who are the guys who attacked Castle Town? I thought Link got rid of all the bad guys." Talo absently picked a piece of grass off of his sandal, flicking it at Beth and looking innocently away when she glared at him.

Ilia sighed. "The soldiers didn't say. But they said that it was our duty to make sure the King stays safe while Link and the Princess take care of the problem." What they had actually said was a little more complicated, but Ilia thought the children would be satisfied with that explanation.

Colin spoke up for the first time. "But my dad says that Ordona isn't part of Hyrule. So is the King in charge of us and the other villages in our province?"

Ilia was a little surprised at Colin's question, but the boy had always been thoughtful, even before his ordeal with the other children last year. "Your dad is right, Colin. Ordona Province isn't technically a part of Hyrule Kingdom, just like the Gerudo Desert and the Snowpeak Mountains."

The children smiled as they recognized the names of places Link had told them about, where he had adventures and fought bad guys.

Ilia continued. "We're under Hyrule's protection, though the King allows Ordona to rule itself, as long as we pay tribute to him. That means Hyrule mostly leaves us alone and doesn't tell us what to do, as long as we sell them food."

"And as long as Link keeps protecting them!" Colin said, grinning.

Ilia laughed. "I suppose."

An imperious little man, dressed in an expensive-looking suit and with fastidiously combed hair, came over to them, clearing his throat to get their attention. "Could you tell me if there are any hot springs nearby, young lady? The King wishes a soak and I'm afraid I'm not familiar with this area."

Ilia answered him. "There is a Spirit's Spring not too far from here. Let me get my coat and I'll show you." It was towards the beginning of autumn, the time of the year when Ilia started wearing shoes outside, as much as she hated them.

The children all decided to accompany her and the little man, who introduced himself as Martyn, to the spring. Colin made sure to get his sword before they left, saying that since Link and his father were not in the village, the task of guarding it fell to him.

Ilia couldn't help but smile. A few months ago, Colin had been afraid of swords and wouldn't practice with the other boys. But his ordeal with the monsters and his time spent in Kakariko Village had emboldened his spirit, and he had been taking lessons in earnest from his father and Link since then.

Link said that the boy showed promise, and would make a fine swordsman someday if he kept up his practice. Link had also been teaching him to ride a horse, saying that Epona was a good horse to learn with. The mare was always gentle with the children, and was a generally good-natured animal.

The Hero had sent her back to the village after he went to the City in the Sky with Shad, leaving a note asking Ilia to care for the horse while he was gone.

As the little group passed Link's house on the edge of the village, Epona neighed at them from under the roof of her stable. Link had built it off of one side of his house a few months ago. Most of the village had helped him, only too glad to help out the famous Hero.

Ilia stopped to check the horse's stall, filling up a bucket by the door with oats. She rubbed the mare's neck as Epona ate, patting her when she left.

As she came out of the stable, Martyn sighed, tapping his foot. Ilia laughed. City people could be so impatient!

As they drew closer to the spring, Ilia wondered where Link was right now. She hoped he was all right.

It felt like they had grown apart ever since he had become the Hero. He didn't ignore her, exactly, but he didn't send enough letters home, as far as she was concerned. He only visited the village maybe once a month or so, and even then, he was usually never there longer than two or three days before he was off on another journey.

He had seemed sad ever since he saved Hyrule. The one time she had asked him why, Link had simply said that he had lost a friend, and wouldn't tell her any more. Ilia assumed that someone he had met in Hyrule had died in a battle or something. She wished he would open up to her, but then Link had always been a private person, mostly keeping to himself.

He even lived by himself, just outside the main village. Once he had gotten old enough to live on his own, he'd built his house out of a hollow old tree, with assistance from the other villagers.

Ilia remembered once asking her father who Link's parents were. She knew Link wasn't her real brother, but they had been raised together.

Bo had replied that he didn't know. He told her that Link had wandered into the village as a small child along with a very young Epona. He didn't talk, so he couldn't tell them where he came from. The only word he seemed to know was "Link", so that's what the villagers called him.

The Triforce symbol was already on his hand, though the townspeople assumed it was a tattoo or birthmark. None of them were sure what it meant, but it was rarely ever mentioned while Link grew up. Once he had become the Hero, it was often mentioned in discussions about him that it had been obvious all along what his destiny had been. Ilia didn't care about destiny; she just knew Link as her closest friend, maybe more.

Bo had taken him in, and raised him until Link thought he was old enough to live on his own. Link had moved into his current residence at fourteen, already tough and self-sufficient. He'd always been independent and somewhat solitary, but up till he had become the Hero, he'd always taken any opportunity to spend time with Ilia, and was, to her father's amusement, a frequent guest at their dinner table, even after he moved into his own house.

Ilia walked mostly in silence along the path, thinking of Link. Once the little group arrived at the wooden gates to the spring, adorned with flowers, Martyn walked inside and looked it over.

The spring was nearly ankle-deep at the edge this time of year, and got deeper closer to the rock wall at the far end, backed by leafy trees just now starting to turn color. It was a pleasant place, and the villagers visited it often, simply to enjoy the scenery more than to make use of the restorative properties of the water.

The King's servant nodded briskly, straightening his jacket as he walked back out onto the path. "This should do. I will return and tell His Majesty."

"I'll go with you!" Talo said excitedly. "Can I meet the King?"

The little man raised an eyebrow. "I'll see what I can do." Talo obviously didn't note the sarcasm in Martyn's voice.

Ilia started towards the man, intent on giving him an earful for teasing the boy.

A loud, low rumbling became apparent. Everyone stopped and listened. It sounded like thunder, only there were no clouds. The rain had stopped several hours ago, and the clouds had long since gone.

The rumbling increased until there was a physical vibration, like an earthquake but not as severe, the trees shaking and the water in the spring rippling. The small group of people threw questioning looks at each other, none of them able to explain what was going on.

A shadow fell across the countryside, like the dead of night, but in the middle of the day. Beth was the first to spot the thing, and announced her discovery with a scream, her arm flailing at the heavens.

They all looked into the sky, and all of them instantly knew why she had reacted the way she had. It was unspeakably huge, like a monstrous twisted castle had uprooted itself from the ground and was flying through the air.

Ilia gazed in horror at the thing. She wanted to run and hide somewhere, but her legs refused to move. She felt glued to the spot.

It was gargantuan, perhaps a mile across the bottom. Its underside was fairly smooth, but with a few doors and other holes in the bottom. The top of the thing looked like a castle designed by a maniac, with spires and towers jutting out at all angles. For some odd reason, the picture in Ilia's mind was of a giant flying bird's nest.

This was reinforced when winged creatures started pouring out of the thing, swooping towards the village.

* * *

Midna was first to break the hug, standing back to look at Link. She laughed. "I'm still not used to being taller than you."

He chuckled back. "I'm not really used to it, either. I keep thinking of you the way you used to look." On seeing the warning flash in Midna's eyes, he hastily added "You look much better like this, though. Very beautiful."

Link knew Midna hated the imp form Zant had cursed her into, and preferred not to think that she had once been only two-and-a-half feet tall, with undersized limbs and crooked teeth. In the few days they had spent together before she returned to the Twilight Realm, she had practically threatened him not to bring it up again. He could see why, after seeing her true form.

The Hero stood back as Princess Zelda formally greeted Midna and introduced her to Auru. Royal protocol and all that. He kept forgetting that she was Princess Midna and the ruler of the Twilight Realm. To him she was just Midna, his traveling companion and friend.

As the two Princesses exchanged greetings, Link couldn't help but smile. They were both so similar, and yet, so different.

They were of similar height and build, though Midna was a few inches taller and more slender than Hyrule's Princess. Of all the Twili Link had seen, Midna's true form most resembled an ordinary human. She was obviously not, however, with her bright orange hair and bluish-gray skin.

Both Princesses retained an air of regal grace and dignity at all times, though Zelda seemed much more serious than Midna. He thought that even in tattered clothes and disheveled hair, both of them were unmistakably royalty.

Link bent to pick up the sword Midna had dropped to hug him. His first thought was that it was the Master Sword, so similar did it feel to the Hero's weapon. His experienced touch immediately picked out the differences besides those of color and the symbol on the blade where the Triforce should be. For one thing, it was slightly lighter than the Master Sword, and about half an inch shorter altogether. The hilt was a quarter-inch longer than the Master Sword's, and the crosspiece, still resembling outstretched wings, was a quarter-inch wider.

He held it up, swinging it experimentally a few times. Whoever had forged this was a master, on par with the maker of the Master Sword. It was of extraordinary quality, possessing the same sense of simmering magical energy as the Hylian version.

"Did you have this made?" Link asked Midna. "It's an almost perfect copy."

She shook her head. "No. I found it a few minutes before I came through the portal." Midna smiled as she watched him admiring the sword. "I call it the Twilight Blade."

He handed it to her. "A fitting name. Where did you find it?"

Midna sighed, leaning against the wall. "Sticking in that monster that almost followed me here. It seemed to be the guardian of the Twilight end of the portal." She looked around the room, as if seeing it for the first time. "Was there a guardian on this end?"

It was Link's turn to sigh, looking over at Princess Zelda. "You might say that."

They spent the next hour or so exchanging stories about what had happened since the three of them had last seen each other in person.

Hyrule had been relatively quiet and peaceful since Ganondorf's defeat. Zelda had launched a grand rebuilding and revitalization campaign, devoted to returning Hyrule to its former glory, and to getting the people's minds off of Ganondorf's occupation through Zant. Kakariko Village was full of people again, all of them hard at work repairing and expanding the buildings. The Gorons had been inspired by this, and decided to take back their mines. Last Zelda had heard, the sacred mines were operational again, preparing to start sending out ore shipments.

Link shared that Malo Mart had another two branches, one in Zora's Domain, and another in Faron Woods. Malo had joined forces with Coro the lantern oil seller to try and convince people to build a new village in the area where Coro's shack and the Malo Mart were. His slogan was even sort of catchy: 'You will build it, if you're smart! Build a town with Malo Mart!'

Midna got a good chuckle out of this, and even Zelda laughed politely.

He went on to tell the two princesses about Shad's theory about the City in the Sky, which Midna agreed with. She was one of the few non-Oocca to even see the city in hundreds of years, not to mention the fact that she was the only other person besides Link to explore it thoroughly.

The Twilight Princess told them about the goings-on in her domain. The Twilight Realm had unfortunately not been as peaceful as Hyrule over the last few months. As Midna had explained to Link once before, her father, the former King of Twilight, had died suddenly, and the rulership had been disputed between Midna and her cousin Zant. The usurper king had claimed that the late King had named _him_ as the heir and not Midna, and he had convinced many of the Twili of this, despite Midna's attempts to prove him wrong. When she confronted her cousin personally about the issue, he had cursed with what they now knew to be Ganondorf's power and threw her out of the palace.

Upon her return to the Twilight Realm, Midna and her supporters had been forced to fight a short but bitter war against what was left of Zant's court. Nearly a third of the Twili had still believed that Zant was the rightful King of Twilight, and refused to believe he was dead, despite all he had done during his brief tenure as King and the Hero's defeat of him. They rose up in rebellion against what they viewed to be the usurper, encouraged by some of Zant's surviving lackeys. Midna had been forced to endure another siege against the Palace of Twilight, led by a few sorcerers still loyal to the fallen King, though she had repulsed it with the power of the Fused Shadows.

The majority of the Twili, especially the ones that had been at the Palace of Twilight when Link had visited and had seen him, supported Midna wholeheartedly once she returned to her kingdom. Most of the rebels had been those living far from the palace, those most affected by Zant's lies and manipulations.

The Twilight Princess explained how difficult it had been for her to fight her own people, knowing they were still misguided by an enemy she thought she had defeated.

Her forces had won the conflict with thankfully little casualties on either side, and she had managed to win over the defeated rebels by proving that she was, in fact, the true leader of the Twili. The Twili who had personally met Zant had also spoken with their misguided kinsmen, explaining what had really happened, and the whole tribe had been at peace for the last six months, getting down to the business of returning to life as normal.

Link remained quiet through her explanation, surprised at the tale, and wishing he could have been there to help her. Hyrule had needed him too in the last few months, but more as a symbol than a savior. Aside from guarding the occasional caravan against bandit attacks, Link hadn't seen much combat between Ganondorf's defeat and today.

After a few moments of silence, Midna gestured over at where Auru knelt next to the man they had found in the chamber, tending his wounds. "Who's the unconscious guy?"

"I do not know his name, but he is the new bearer of the Triforce of Power. He was under attack by the monster we fought in this chamber when we found him." Zelda frowned slightly. "The monster may or may not have been Ganon. It was difficult to tell."

Midna looked at the big man's face intently. "Well, he's the guy from the vision the Sages showed us, but I've never seen him before." She winked at Link. "And I swear we talked to every single citizen of Hyrule at least once." She indicated his ears, which were round, like those who lived in Ordona. "He isn't Hylian, that's for sure. He must be from somewhere else."

"There is a much larger world beyond Hyrule," Zelda reminded them. "My kingdom is almost completely surrounded by nearly impassable mountains and deserts, so it is easy to forget that there are other lands out there. He must have struggled for months to get here."

Auru adjusted a bandage he had placed on the man's arm. "He doesn't look Gerudo; he's too light-complexioned. Besides, a male Gerudo wouldn't be out of the desert, and the people themselves haven't been seen in decades."

Midna looked up at Link. "Could he be from Snowpeak? Those ruins we found are evidence that people lived there once."

Auru turned to Midna. "What ruins?"

Link described the ruined mansion he and Midna had visited on their search for the Mirror fragments, and the two Yetis that had taken up residence there. Snowpeak had been a desolate place, and Link had wondered who had built the mansion and why a few times, though the majority of his attention had been devoted to finding the shard of the Mirror of Twilight that Zant had hidden there.

The older man was looking increasingly thoughtful. "You wouldn't still have a map of those ruins, would you?"

Link did have the map with him, thanks to his magical pocket, and he pulled it out and handed it to Auru. The older man leafed through the sheets of the map, looking closely at it and making thoughtful noises. He looked up. "I am going to be a while with this, if you two want to talk."

Midna and Link went off by themselves to another corner of the room, leaving Zelda and Auru to look over the map and watch the unconscious man.

Link's first personal question for his friend was one he had been wanting an answer to for a long time. "Why did you destroy the Mirror of Twilight?"

* * *

Link's question hit Midna hard. She had known that he was going to ask her sooner or later, but she just hadn't expected it to be now. She was still worn out from her battle with the Shadow Guardian, and was still covered in dirt and grime and dried blood.

But, no matter how tired Midna was, Link had a right to know. He was her closest friend, and they kept no secrets from each other. They had started out as barely tolerated allies, she using him to help with her own agenda of getting back her kingdom, and he going along with it because she was willing to help him find his kidnapped friends. Over the course of their journey, they had grown closer through their shared trials, and had forged a strong bond of friendship. She had known, in the back of her mind, that it couldn't last, but she hadn't wanted to think about it until it was time to return to her own world for good.

Midna put her hand on his shoulder, her other hand on his upper arm. "I didn't want to, Link, but I knew that it had to be done. My people aren't inherently evil, but our ancestors that were banished to the Twilight Realm were very wicked people, and the things they made are tainted. You were with me when we found the Fused Shadows and the Mirror pieces. Things from my world twist things from yours into horrible versions of themselves. They turn ordinary people and animals into terrible monsters."

She touched his cheek. "I grew to care for your world while I was traveling with you, Link. I knew that I couldn't leave a connection between our worlds, in case something slipped through and caused more destruction."

His voice was angry, and thicker with emotion than she'd ever heard it. "But why didn't you tell me what you were doing? Why did you just destroy the Mirror without any warning?" His deep blue eyes, still proud and feral like the beast he had once been, met her own, and Midna was unable to look away. "You could have at least told me that we were never going to see each other again."

"Link, I don't… I don't know what to-" Midna broke off as she found herself starting to get choked up. She was surprised at her own show of emotion, and with embarrassment felt tears starting to form. _Nice, Midna. Just go ahead and break down on him, why don't you? _she thought to herself.

When she looked up at Link, his expression had softened, and he put his arm around her, silently letting her know she didn't have to explain if she didn't want to. She sighed and put her head on his shoulder, and they sat there, not needing words to know that they were all right, and happy to be back together again.

* * *

Shad nervously patted himself, making sure he was all there. He and the mysterious black-clad man had rematerialized in Faron Woods, north of the odd choking fog that still persisted in the area, in sight of the Forest Temple.

The experience had been unusual for Shad, who was still disturbed by how it had felt to be disintegrated and then re-integrated. The masked man shrugged it off immediately, stalking around the woods while the scholar decided whether he should have a nervous breakdown or not.

Once he seemed satisfied that no one else was in the area, the mysterious man returned to where Shad was sitting and took off his mask and gloves, tucking them into his belt.

"How do we get to the Master Sword from here?" he asked. He was Hylian, like Shad, from his pointed ears. His features were young but unexceptional; if Shad saw him in a crowd, he wouldn't be able to pick him out as being unusual. He was of medium height and build, with ordinary brown hair. In short: utterly unremarkable, if one didn't count that he had red eyes and a glowing blue tattoo or marking of some kind that started on his hand and presumably ran up his arm under his sleeve.

The man saw Shad looking at his marking and crossed his arms before the scholar got a good look at it. "Well?"

Shad replied hesitantly. He was still unsure of whether this man was friend or foe. "It's not far."

The man stepped over to Shad and extended the hand that didn't have any markings on it."My name is Erik. What's yours?"

"Shad." The scholar shook the proffered hand, still wondering what the man was up to.

Erik spread his hands amicably. "I'm sorry I was so rude, back in the city, but I didn't have much time. I still don't. We need to get the Master Sword to the Hero as fast as we can. He's going to need it."

Shad stood, finally starting to recognize the area they were in. He stopped, and turned around. "Before we go any further, I'm going to need you to tell me who you are and why Link needs the Master Sword. You have time to tell me that much."

Erik frowned, though more in annoyance than anger. "It does not matter who I am right now. All you need to know is that it is in my interest for your Hero to have the Master Sword once again. Your friend Link is going to need the sword before he leaves the city, so we have to go get it for him. Some of my allies are watching Castle Town, ready to tell me if he leaves. One of them has already seen a carriage leave the southern entrance, but she verified that the Hero was not in it." Erik gestured for Shad to stand up. "This is a matter of some importance, so we should get moving while there is still time."

Shad decided that Erik probably wasn't an enemy, and decided to show him to the Sacred Grove. Besides, if he was evil, the Master Sword wouldn't allow him to touch it.

Shad didn't know what he would do if that happened.

* * *

Link opened his eyes. He didn't remember falling asleep, but it was clear he had. He wasn't surprised; it had been a long day. It was hard to believe that just this afternoon, he had gone to the City in the Sky with Shad. He wondered what had happened to his friend, and if he was all right. Shad wasn't exactly the warrior sort, and Link hoped he'd stuck with the Zoras and hadn't gotten into any trouble.

Of course, that might have been yesterday afternoon now. Link had no idea how long he had slept.

Feeling pressure on his chest, he looked down to see Midna asleep, her head still on his shoulder. Trying not to move too much, he looked around the chamber to see if anything had changed.

Princess Zelda was sleeping now, and Auru stood at the entrance to the chamber, on guard. The big man they had found was still asleep, but he looked like he had shifted position. That was a good sign. Maybe he would wake up soon, so Link could ask him some questions.

He felt Midna stirring, and she sat up and yawned, looking around.

"Oh, I must have dozed off," she said, glancing up at him. "Has anything happened?"

Link shook his head in reply, and she stood up and stretched, yawning again.

Midna picked up the Twilight Blade from where it lay on the floor next to her, and looked at it for a few seconds before turning to Link and whispering. "Where's the Master Sword? I want to make a comparison."

Link was careful to keep his voice quiet, also. "I put it back in the Sacred Grove after you left. I figured I didn't need it anymore." He frowned. "It looks like I was wrong, though."

Midna held up her sword. "They look and feel almost identical to me, but I didn't use the Master Sword like you did. How alike are they?"

He told her about the subtle differences he had noticed. "I'd say they were either forged by the same smith, or the Twilight Blade was made by someone who spent a lot of time with the Master Sword. Without looking at both at the same time, I really can't tell you any more. Could you tell me more about the room you found it in?"

"It looked almost exactly like the entrance to the Temple of Time, only instead of the door to the temple, the stairs went to the portal. The stairs activated when I put the Twilight Blade into the pedestal in the middle of the room."

"Just like the Temple of Time. Do you know where this sword came from?" Link was getting more interested with every new detail. Who would make a copy of the Master Sword and leave it in the Twilight Realm? A stranger thought struck him: Which sword was the copy? Were they part of a set? How old were they?

Midna shook her head, and Link nearly missed her answer among his own thoughts. "I have no idea. There aren't any inscriptions on the sword itself beyond this symbol on the blade. There might have been in the portal chamber, but I was a little too busy to notice."

She made an impolite gesture at the doorway. "Plus, that stupid monster had to go and block off the portal so we can't go back and look at the room. How rude!" She gave the door a mock-furious look, and then grinned.

Link chuckled, glad she still had her sense of humor. He stopped laughing when he saw the expression on her face turn sad.

Midna looked at the door again. "I can't go back. I'm stuck in this world. I just got my realm all stabilized again, and now I've vanished. Again. My guards probably think I'm dead, from all the racket my battle with the Shadow Guardian made. And," she plucked at the sleeve of her tight-fitting top, "I left my robe in the room to distract the creature while I escaped. If they find it, they'll think the Guardian ate me or something." She sighed heavily. "Now it _really_ looks like it was a bad idea to destroy the Mirror of Twilight."

Link reached over and put his hand on her arm. "You couldn't have known this was going to happen. You had both worlds' best interests in mind at the time. We'll find a way to get there. We still have to go to the Twilight Realm to get the Triforce of Shadow, remember?"

Midna's face brightened. "You're right! That was probably why that thing you and Zelda fought was in here! It was going to try and go to my world and get Ganondorf's Triforce." She sat down next to him, still whispering. "That reminds me; I did manage to find out a little more about the Triforce of Shadow before I came here."

"What did you find?" Link leaned forward, eager to hear what she had to say. He still knew little about Ganondorf's creation, and anything they could find out would be helpful.

"Well, I interrogated a few of Zant's courtiers that were still alive, and I found out something interesting. After Zant brought the Triforce of Shadow back to the Twilight Realm, he tried to use it himself. He apparently couldn't handle the incredible power contained in it, and it drove him crazier than he already was. That was why he was acting so strange when we fought him." Midna widened her eyes comically, making a little flailing motion with her fingers.

Link nodded. "That makes sense. I always wondered why he was so different right before the end. So what did he do with the Shadow piece?"

The Twilight Princess raised an eyebrow. "That's the interesting part. None of them knew what he did with it, because he didn't tell them. Nobody but Zant knows where he hid it, and he's dead."

"So he could have put it anywhere. You know a lot more about the Twilight World than me, Midna. Where do you think he hid it?"

She shrugged. "He could have had it on him when he died, so it could still be in the throne room somewhere. It's probably not very big, so we could have missed it when we cleaned up the throne room after I returned. Or, it could be in a secret room in the Palace. We found plenty of those before I came here."

Link stood up. "Then let's try to open the portal again. We have to find the Shadow Triforce before any servants of Ganon do! If it really does what the Sages say, then we don't have any time to waste!"

Midna grabbed his arm. "Now, just a minute, Link. You're forgetting about the Shadow Guardian. How are we going to get rid of that thing? All my magic didn't hurt it at all, and even when I stabbed it with the Twilight Blade, it healed almost immediately." She was still holding the sword, which she waved for emphasis. "All you've got is your Ordon sword, and I know that won't hurt it. You need the Master Sword. Remember, it has special powers in the Twilight Realm."

Link rubbed his chin, absently noting the stubble forming there. "You're right. So how are we going to get out of here to get to the Sacred Grove?"

She waved at the small chamber's entrance. "We've been through these dungeons before. We'll just find our way out through one of the cell blocks or something."

Midna and Link walked over to where Auru was standing guard, telling him that they were going to look around. He nodded and stepped aside, gesturing back at where Zelda and the big man slept. "I will watch over them until you return," he said, smiling slightly.

They stepped out into the tunnels, staying on the narrow stone walkways and noting that the water was higher than usual, probably due to the rain. Both of them kept their swords in their hands, knowing giant rats and other vile things lurked in these tunnels.

As they looked around in the waterways, the two friends talked about the last two times they had been here.

"How did we not find the portal chamber before? It's practically right next to the stairs up to the roof." Midna sliced through two rats who leaped at her at once. The Twilight Blade killed them just by touching them.

Link swatted a bat with his sword. "Well, I don't know if you noticed, but it looked to me like a section of wall was slid aside. If I hadn't been looking for it, I would have walked right past it without knowing anything was there."

"I guess you're right," Midna said. She stopped suddenly. "Wait a minute, can't we get out of here the same way we did the first time? You said you met Zelda at the top of those spiral stairs. She must have gotten down here somehow."

She and Link turned to face each other, trading chagrined looks, and chuckled at having missed something so obvious. They turned around and started back to the portal chamber.

When they got back, they told Auru about their plan. He agreed, but asked them to wait until Zelda woke up, saying she needed the rest.

The two of them went back to the portal and looked it over. It looked like an ordinary stone door, unmarked and with no visible handholds, and the runes and lines around the outer edge made no sense to either of them. Link thought that perhaps the runes were instructions on how to open the door, but Midna sarcastically remarked that they could be a recipe for lentil soup for all they knew, since neither of them could read the unfamiliar characters. They were definitely words, but they weren't in Hylian or the Twili written language. Link suggested asking Zelda once she woke up, since the Triforce of Wisdom might provide insight in the matter.

Since there was no pedestal or anything else that looked like a place to put the Twilight Blade to activate the portal, Midna tried wedging it under the door, knowing it wouldn't break. Link didn't expect it to work, and wasn't surprised when nothing happened.

"All right, I'm tired of holding this thing," Midna said after having to put the sword down to try and lift the door again. She held the sword up in front of her and placed her hand over the blade, right against the hilt.

Link watched in fascination as she drew her hand down the blade, light glowing from her fingertips. A scabbard appeared behind her hand, out of thin air. When she was done, she drew the Twilight Blade out and handed it to him.

The Twilight Princess paused to think for a second, then moved her hand over the scabbard again, adding decoration and a belt. Now the scabbard looked almost just like the Master Sword's, but colored in dark blue, purple and gray. She buckled the belt across her hips over her skirt, tugging it to fit. Midna held out her hand, and Link handed her back the Twilight Blade.

She twirled it a few times, doing a near-perfect imitation of the way he sometimes put away his sword after winning a fight, ending in her sheathing the sword at her hip. "Much better," she said, chuckling when Link rolled his eyes.

There was a shuffling noise, and then a surprised grunt and a clang as the big man woke up and snatched his sword from where they had left it lying next to him.

* * *

Shad climbed down the vine-covered wall, dropping the last few feet to the ground and looking around at the overgrown stone ruins in front of him. This was definitely the way to the Sacred Grove. The lobby of the ruined temple should be just though the hole in the wall.

He looked up as Erik somersaulted off of the ledge, touching down briefly on a pillar that rose out of the center of the ruins in this area before backflipping to the ground, landing lightly on his feet. Whoever this man was, he had incredible balance and agility.

"Are we almost to the sword? We're running out of time. My contact says that she hasn't seen Link yet, but the enemy has completely taken over the city. It's going to be difficult to get the Master Sword to him at this rate." Erik gestured impatiently at the ruins around them.

"Why do you think Link needs the Master Sword so badly?" Shad asked as they walked into the ruined temple. Erik did not answer immediately, looking around at the ruins.

From what Link had told him, this had once been a magnificent white temple, a place of awe-inspiring grandeur. The ruins they had traversed to get here were presumably what was left of a surrounding city, though Shad had never heard of any city this size in Faron Province. Mostly, the only signs of civilization nearby were a few ranches and some small farming villages in the southern part of the kingdom. The largest settlement in the area was Ordon Village, the largest town in Ordona Province, one of the outlying provinces that were under Hyrule's protection but not technically a part of the kingdom itself. Shad had been surprised to learn of the ruins, and had explored them first when Link returned the Master Sword to its resting place. He had come here a few times with his friends since then, trying to learn more about whoever had left the ruins behind.

Erik had remained silent long enough that Shad had assumed he was not going to answer, so it surprised the scholar when he did. "The Master Sword is the only weapon that can kill the Shadow Guardian. No other weapons are effective against it."

"The what?" Answers were supposed to resolve the question, not raise more. What was a Shadow Guardian?

Erik sighed, looking over at him. "The guardian of the secondary entrance to the Twilight Realm. The Hero is going to have to go there to stop Ganondorf from getting the Triforce of Shadow."

Shad spluttered. "What? Start making sense!" he practically shouted.

Erik gestured at the statues standing silent guard at the entrance to the Master Sword's chamber. "I don't have time for this! I need to get the Master Sword before your friend finds the portal. If he goes through without it, he'll die and Hyrule will be in more trouble than it already is. Now, are you coming, or not?"

Shad stopped between Erik and the door to the Master Sword's chamber. He knew the mysterious warrior could probably throw him aside with little effort, but he needed answers, and he was going to ask the questions, even if Erik was unlikely to respond.

"If you know so much about the Master Sword, why did you need help to find it?"

The red-eyed man frowned at him, crossing his arms. "Get out of my way, Shad."

"No! Not until you tell me what's going on, and what you really want with the Master Sword!" Shad tried to appear resolute, knowing in the back of his mind he probably wasn't even slightly intimidating.

Erik cocked his head to one side, as if deciding whether or not to answer. Finally, he spoke. "I knew only what I was told. I don't know the geography of this region, but you've been most helpful." He leaned forward slightly, his arms still crossed. "Now, stand aside. I pose no threat to you or your friends. You and I are on the same side in this war, Shad."

The scholar blinked in confusion. "What war?" He knew Castle Town had been taken, and there would likely be an attempt to retake it, but would there really be a full-scale war?

Erik spread his arms. "The world war, Shad. The battle in your capital is being repeated all over this world, with similar results. Your friend the Hero is going to be crucial in the coming conflict, and he'll need the Blade of Evil's Bane. Now, are you coming, or not?"

Shad silently stood aside, shocked. A world war? The very concept was unimaginable. What could possibly present a threat to the entire world?

The statues that stood silent guard on either side of the entrance to the Master Sword's resting place remained immobile as Erik walked past them, which a part of Shad thought was strange. Link had told him that they briefly came alive to test him before letting him through to claim the sacred blade. Another part of Shad's mind told him that there were bigger things to worry about, and to hurry after the warrior.

The two of them walked up the stairs, and when they were about three-quarters of the way, Erik suddenly stopped and motioned Shad to do the same.

The scholar heard noises coming from the chamber ahead. It sounded like snarling and cursing.

They slowly finished climbing the stairs, dropping to the ground at the top at Erik's direction. Shad peered into the room, puzzled at what he saw. It was hard to make out details in the dim light.

It appeared that Link had beaten them there, and was trying to pull the Master Sword out of the pedestal. But, every time Link touched the sacred weapon, Shad heard an discharge of power and another curse.

Next to Shad, the black-clad warrior scowled. "I was hoping this wouldn't happen," Erik muttered under his breath.

Shad strained his eyes, trying to get a better look. On second glance, the figure turned out to not be Link. It was easy to see why Shad had been confused, though. The person trying to grab the Master Sword was dressed exactly like Link, only in black instead of green. Shad squinted harder in the dim light, and he could see that the person had dark gray skin, and oily-looking black hair.

Suddenly, the mysterious figure stopped, tensed, turned around, and looked right at them. Shad could see that its eyes were solid glowing red, and he felt a pulse of fear wash through him with the figure's gaze.

Shad looked over at Erik and shrank away from him, his panicked mind fearing that he and the Link-thing were allies. They looked similar, to Shad, and he made ready to run. His fears about Erik were suddenly dismissed when he saw the warrior's features move into a determined expression as the other man drew his sword and stood, bringing his weapon up in front of him.

The creature let out an unearthly shriek, drawing its own sword as it charged toward them.

* * *

Author's Note:(Chapter originally posted 8/21/07, revised and expanded 3/30-31/08) I probably revised this chapter the most, since it was shortly after I originally posted this that I made a few changes in my outline. That and... well, it could have been better, so now it is. Quite a bit of the dialogue was atrocious in the original version, so I corrected that, and made the chapter agree with the rest of the story a little more. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Feedback is a basic food group for writers, you know. ;)


	6. Decisions

Six

Arnak backed up, his sword held at the ready in front of him. He didn't know what was going on, and his head still ached from the pounding the monster had given him.

As he recovered his senses, he recognized the chamber he had fought some kind of monster in, and the young man in green who had distracted it. Near him stood the old man who had helped Arnak escape the chamber, and as he looked around for the young woman who had checked his wounds, he saw her lying on the ground a few feet away, apparently just now waking up.

He didn't know who the woman standing next to the young warrior was, but he recognized the sword she was wearing. It was the same sword from the drawing Enkidu had showed him so long ago.

Arnak let his hand fall to his side as he studied the woman more closely. She was tall and slender, with bluish-gray skin and bright orange hair. She held herself like royalty, which contrasted with her shredded clothing. The woman had streaks of some silver-blue substance smeared on a few places on her body. Blood, maybe? She also had some glowing blue markings on her arms and legs, perhaps some kind of tattoos or ceremonial markings.

Whoever she was, she clearly wasn't human. It didn't make sense to Arnak that she could be Link, since he thought the Hero was a man. But, she did have the Master Sword.

He decided to talk to them. "I am Arnak, son of Tyraj. Who are you?"

The unfamiliar woman spoke first. "I am Midna, Princess of the Twilight Realm. This is Link, the Hero of Light." The man in green nodded.

The other woman stood. "I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule." She gestured at the old man. "This is Auru, my friend and advisor." The old man bowed.

"Are we still in Hyrule Castle?" Arnak sheathed his sword, satisfied that none of these people were his enemies. Plus, now he knew that the green-clad warrior was Link, the Hero.

"Yes, we are," Zelda answered. "We are in the dungeons, near the exit."

"Good," Arnak said. He turned to the young warrior. "Link, I must speak with you."

The Hero walked over to Arnak and extended his gauntleted hand, and the big man shook it.

"I have been looking for you, you know," Arnak said. He frowned as he saw that Link's sword did not look like the Master Sword. "You are the bearer of the Master Sword, are you not?" He gestured at Midna. "Or is she?"

To his surprise, Princess Midna laughed. "No, this is not the Master Sword. But I can see why you'd think that. This is called the Twilight Blade."

Arnak was confused. "Then where is the Master Sword?"

Link was the one to answer. "I was once the bearer of the Blade of Evil's Bane, but I returned it to its resting place. Why are you looking for it?"

Arnak leaned against the stone wall as he replied. "I was searching for the sword because I was told only a Hero would be wielding it. I have need of such a Hero."

Midna chuckled mirthlessly. "Get in line."

Arnak turned to her. "What do you mean?"

The Twilight Princess waved her hands, as if encompassing all that was happening around them. "The castle is under siege, which means that Hyrule is in trouble _again_. On top of that, we found out that Ganondorf hid a powerful evil artifact in my realm, so we have to go find it before he or one of his servants gets ahold of it."

Arnak ran his fingers through his hair. "I have heard this name 'Ganondorf' before. Some of my men told me that he was a powerful evil wizard who has invaded this land more than once."

"This is true," Zelda said. "Are you not alone?"

He nodded. "I am alone in this city, but I have a small group of comrades who are helping me search Hyrule."

Zelda sat down, indicating that he do the same. Arnak folded his legs underneath him, settling into a comfortable position. The others gathered around also, but Link remained standing, half facing the chamber's entrance. Arnak recognized this as an experienced warrior's habit, but he had expected no less from one known as the Hero.

"How did you come to Hyrule?" Zelda asked. "Your accent is not one familiar to me."

"I journeyed here from a continent on the other side of the ocean, far to the east of this kingdom. I spent a few weeks in the port cities before a pilgrimage told me I could travel with them most of the way here. They were bound for a temple deep in the mountains where more of their kind were, and they hired me as protection.

"None of them wanted to come to Hyrule, since they do not worship your Goddesses, but they were able to tell me about a few farms and villages on the way here." He smiled. "They wanted me to join their religion and stay with them, since they observed that I had this power on a few occasions. I politely declined." Arnak held up his right hand, the one with the triangular marking on it, and saw that all present recognized it.

He continued. "I journeyed on my own through Holodrum and Labrynna, receiving directions here, until I came to a small village in the mountains east of here. It had been attacked recently, like several other cities and villages I encountered in my travels. The buildings were all half-destroyed and there were bodies everywhere. I was looking for survivors when I was attacked by a returning band of hunters.

"They thought I was the one responsible for the destruction and attacked me in their grief, but I fought them all off. Once I was able to calm them down and convince them that I had not killed their loved ones, we were able to find one person alive, a woman.

"She had been severely wounded, but she was able to tell us what had happened. They had been going about their normal lives, preparing for the hunters to return, when it began to rain unexpectedly. Soon a thunderstorm was raging, with lightning hitting several buildings in the village. Strange winged creatures started swooping through the village, dropping bombs and slaying the residents with swords.

"Because most of the fighters in the village were out hunting, they were unable to mount any real defense, and they were slaughtered. She was the only survivor we found, and she died not long after. I helped them bury their dead, and then we met to decide what to do. They debated whether or not to stay in the village, since everyone they knew was dead. I told them about what had happened to my village and how I had come to be in theirs."

Arnak was about to continue when Midna interrupted. "You never told us what happened to your village, or why you left your continent. Maybe you'd better start over at the beginning."

He sighed, not wanting to bring those memories up again.

"Very well. I am from the village of Sagarmatha, a town in the western mountains of the continent across the sea. I was born there and lived there with my wife, Mara, until it was destroyed." He felt somewhat odd, telling his story to total strangers, but he reminded himself that it wasn't the first time.

"I was hunting when this marking appeared on my hand and I felt a surge of power flow through me." Arnak briefly described the rest of his hunting trip and his visit to the shaman. He omitted the news from his wife, reasoning that it wasn't any of these people's business. He told them about the savage attack on the village by the bird-things and how he and the other villagers had attempted to defend their home, only to be slain without mercy. No one had been spared, not even the children.

Enkidu had told Arnak that he must survive at all costs, and urged him to leave the village behind, for it was probably Arnak the bird-things were looking for. "The sacred power must not fall into their hands!" the older man had said, right before he died from his wounds.

Arnak refrained from telling the group that his beloved wife had died in his arms, and that he had flung himself into a terrible rage, killing any of the avian creatures he could get his hands on. He had nearly gone mad from grief, and remembered little of the rest of the battle, awaking buried under a pile of rubble the next day. He had been so angry that he had literally smashed his way out, only to discover that the entire village was dead and the bird-people had left. Everyone and everything he had known was gone, destroyed in a single horrible night.

Arnak had spent a few days digging graves, giving his friends and family a proper burial before building a monument for his wife out of the rubble of their house. He had found the book Enkidu had shown him just before the attack in the wreckage of the shaman's house, and resolved to journey to Hyrule in search of the Master Sword's bearer, reasoning that such a man could help him defeat whoever was behind the destruction of his home.

Instead, Arnak told the others that he had been knocked unconscious and left for dead, and had eventually made his way to the coast in search of Hyrule and the Hero.

Arnak had journeyed to three different cities before he found someone who had even heard of Hyrule, and another two before he found a captain who would take him there. The ship had dropped him off at a small fishing village on the eastern coast of Hyrule's continent.

"I traveled between the cities on the coast for a few weeks before I met the pilgrimage. I believe I told you most of the rest."

"You didn't tell us what happened with the destroyed village you found," Midna said.

"Well, the men had a meeting to decide what to do, and the leader of their hunting party, a man named Ivan, suggested going to Hyrule to seek refuge, in case the attackers came back. After much deliberation, they decided to follow Ivan's suggestion and come here. They asked me to go with them and I have traveled with them ever since."

"You referred to them as 'your' men. Are you in command?" Link asked.

The big man nodded. "After they saw my power in action, they decided to name me as the leader. We have collected others since then, and we are now a good-sized force. I wish I had brought them to Castle Town with me, since I feel we could have helped defend the city better."

Arnak stood, tired of speaking. "We have wasted enough time. We need to decide on a new course of action. What are our options?"

Again, Midna answered him. "Well, we discussed some things while you were out, and Link and I have decided to leave the city to go get the Master Sword."

"What we haven't decided is how," said Link. He turned to Midna. "Can you still use the warp portals we made?"

Midna looked like she was thinking. "Well, they're all still there. They're just dormant from not having been used in a long time. Plus, since I'm in my true form and at my full power level, I won't have to turn you into a wolf to warp."

This drew questioning looks from those assembled, but Arnak noticed Princess Zelda seemed as if she understood.

Midna seemed embarrassed. "I'm guessing you never told anyone about that, huh?"

Link seemed even more embarrassed than she. "No, I haven't."

Arnak decided now was as good a time as any to ask. "Is being able to change shape a power given by the Triforce pieces?"

* * *

Since Shad was unarmed, all he could do was watch as Erik dueled the Link-creature.

Erik was a masterful swordsman, twirling and dodging with incredible skill. He used the environment to his advantage, running up walls and leaping higher than Shad thought it was possible for ordinary mortals to jump.

The dark parody of Link, on the other hand, had no subtlety at all. It was all brute force and power. However impossible it seemed to Shad, it still managed to hold Erik off, matching his every strike with unnatural speed and strength.

Shad wished the real Link was here. His friend could pull out the Master Sword and dispatch this aberration with ease, he was sure.

To the scholar's surprise, the shadow Link spoke, and his voice was eerily similar to that of the Hero, only with a growling, fierce undertone to it. "You are pathetic, Sheikah fool. I have killed members of your kind ten times as skilled as you. Give up now and tell me where I might find the Hero, so I might duel someone worthy of me."

Erik said nothing, but seemed to redouble his efforts. Shad could see beads of sweat start to run down the other man's face.

Shad was more interested in the dark Link's comment. Was Erik really one of the elusive Sheikah? Shad had thought them merely legend. Little was known about the tribe other than it supposedly protected the royal family. If he was, it explained his mysterious powers, for the Sheikah were supposed to have all kinds of outrageous magical abilities, teleportation among them.

The shadow Link seemed to be getting the upper hand now. It had an arrogant sneer on its face, and it seemed to be showing its contempt for Erik by showing off. It actually disarmed him at one point, standing with exaggerated patience while Erik retrieved his weapon.

Shad was growing increasingly frustrated with his inability to help Erik. He had no sword, but even if he did, he was barely able to use one and would be of no help against this thing. He wished Ashei or Rusl were here. They could help the Sheikah warrior, distract the creature when it was getting too much of an advantage, or at least do _something_.

He wondered where the creature had come from. If it wasn't dressed like Link, he would have assumed that it was another of Ganon's servants, albeit an unusually intelligent one. But it was attired in the style of the Hero. It puzzled Shad to no end what this meant.

Shad decided to study the creature for weaknesses, in hopes of spotting one and pointing it out to Erik somehow.

It was the same height and build as the Link he knew, and even had similar features. If he didn't know better, Shad would have sworn that it actually was Link, twisted by evil. But Shad had seen Link only a short time ago, and his heroic friend could not possibly be corrupted to this point in only a few hours.

Shad noticed Erik starting to falter under the dark Link's relentless assault, and he began to pray. Only a miracle could save them now.

* * *

The entire group turned as one to fix Arnak with a questioning look, their puzzlement obvious.

Midna, in particular was interested to hear the answer.

"What gave you that impression?" Zelda asked.

Before their astonished eyes, Arnak's features morphed and elongated until an eight-foot-tall grizzly bear stood before them, powerful muscles rippling beneath its dark brown fur and enormous teeth gleaming in its muzzle. It growled softly, then transformed back into Arnak.

Midna saw Link drop his hand back to his side. She looked down and realized that her own hand still rested on the hilt of the Twilight Blade.

"How… How did you do that?" Auru said, his shock still apparent.

Arnak seemed to harbor hidden amusement at their reactions. "I do not know, myself. I discovered this ability about two months ago, when my group was ambushed by a band of Lizalfos on the road. I had no conscious control over it; it just happened. When we had defeated them, I calmed down and turned back into a human. The other men were so afraid of me that they ran away, calling me a sorcerer and making protective gestures."

The big man shrugged. "I was about to keep going by myself when Ivan calmed them down and led them back. Over time, I experimented and found that I could control the transformation with practice. Up till now I thought it had something to do with my Triforce. I see by your reactions that it might not."

Link still seemed shaken. "I used to be able to become a wolf, but it was because of a piece of stone cursed with Ganon's magic. Midna helped me control the transformation."

Midna held up her hand and the orange-and-black stone appeared over her fingers. "I still have it. I forgot to give it to you when I left." She closed her fingers and it disappeared.

Zelda's thoughts seemed to be going in a different direction. "Arnak, how much do you know about the Triforce?"

He shrugged again. "I know it is an object of great power split into three pieces. I have one of them, and the Hero and Your Highness are said to have the other two. That is all my men knew about it."

Princess Zelda briefly related to Arnak the legend of the Three Goddesses and the formation of the world, specifically the part dealing with the making of the Triforce and the Sacred Realm. He kept nodding as if it made sense to him. When she told him who the previous bearer of his Triforce had been, Arnak scowled and looked at the back of his hand.

"It does not keep any traits from its previous masters, does it? I would hate to think a part of this Ganondorf is inside me."

Zelda shook her head. "I do not believe so. I have never experienced any memories from any of my ancestors before, but I have also never transformed into an animal. Ganon once demonstrated this ability."

Arnak looked at his Triforce suspiciously.

Midna felt compelled to say something. "Now, hold on a minute. We don't know how many of Ganon's powers came from his natural magical abilities, or how much was from his Triforce."

Arnak shook his head. "This is all very interesting, but I think we all have more pressing matters to attend to, such as taking back the castle."

Princess Zelda seemed saddened by his words. "I have given the order to evacuate the castle and the town. We are probably the only people still in the city."

Link and Auru looked at each other, and Midna realized that somehow, no one had told the Princess about the refugees from Telma's Bar.

Arnak seemed surprised. "You're giving up?"

Zelda turned to him. "The castle is breached and the town taken. There is nothing we can do. I plan to regroup and take the city back when our forces are strong again. Besides, we do not know if the invaders intend to keep the city. Most of the reports I have received indicate that they seem to be searching for something."

Link spoke up. "Don't forget what the Sages said. If they are under Ganon's direction, then they're looking for that portal." He waved at the doorway to illustrate his point.

Midna had had enough. "We've gotten distracted again. Why don't we decide what exactly it is that we're all going to do next? We don't have infinite time here, either."

Link was the first to say something. "I intend to go get the Master Sword and come back here to open the portal. Then I'm going to find the Triforce of Shadow and destroy it if I can."

Midna put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm going with him. How about everyone else?"

Auru quickly explained to the princess that there were still civilians in an abandoned chamber of the old waterways. Zelda's expression became thoughtful, and she indicated that Arnak should voice his opinion.

The big man flexed his shoulders under his leather jerkin. "I am trying to decide whether to stay here and protect the townspeople, or to go with the Hero and offer him what help I can."

Midna suddenly thought of something. "You haven't said why you were looking for Link yet."

Arnak looked at her as if the answer was obvious. "I need the power of the Hero to help me defeat these creatures that are attacking all over the world." She was struck by the earnestness of what he said next. "These things have destroyed my life and killed my family. I intend to scrub them from creation." The murderous glint in his eye dared one of them to disagree with him.

Midna was unsettled, but decided to keep him close so she could keep an eye on him. "Why don't you come with Link and me? We could use your help." Link nodded silently.

Arnak was thoughtful for a moment, then stepped over to where Link and Midna were standing. "My men and I will aid the Hero."

"The people of Hyrule are going to need their ruler in the times to come. I am going to lead Telma's group of survivors to Ordon, from where I will plan my next move." Zelda and Auru turned to leave, but she stopped.

The princess walked back over to Link and hugged him briefly. "Farewell, Hero. May we meet again." Breaking away, she nodded to Midna and Arnak and then they left.

Midna looked down at herself, at her torn clothes and the dirt and grime she was covered in. "I should have thought of that before she left."

"What?" said Link.

"I look terrible." She gestured out at the doorway. "So did she. We don't cut very inspiring figures right now, for princesses." At Arnak's impatient look, Midna held up a hand. "This will only take a second." The Twilight Princess held her hands together, facing each other, and concentrated.

A ball of blue-green energy formed between her hands and began to get bigger. It eventually enveloped Midna from head to toe, pulsing with flashes of light.

When it dissipated, she was once more attired in her usual robe, the rips and tears in her clothing as if they never were, with her hair again in place and all the blood and grime gone. _Much better,_ she thought to herself.

Midna laughed when Link rolled his eyes and exaggeratedly tapped his foot impatiently.

"Ordinarily, I wouldn't care, but come on, nobody likes walking around in rags." She gathered the two men close to her. "Ready?"

They indicated they were, and the three of them broke into black squares that flew upward, bound for the Sacred Grove.

* * *

Erik knew he wasn't going to win this fight. The creature he was battling was unlike any opponent he had ever faced.

During the course of his duel with the monster, he had come to regret his overconfidence in refusing the help of his fellow agents. He had certainly heard much about Hyrule, and likely knew things about it very few who lived here did, but he'd never been to this country before, and he had been forced to enlist the help of a local to accomplish his mission. The man was no help in a fight, and at least if Erik had another trained Sheikah warrior with him, he might stand more of a chance.

The creature laughed mockingly at him as it disarmed him once again. It placed the toe of its boot under his sword and flipped it to him. It was toying with him, obviously.

"Can't you do any better than that? You're starting to bore me."

Erik refused to let the creature's taunts get to him. He paused for a moment to center himself before he launched himself at the Antihero again.

He knew what the creature was, had been told stories about it ever since he was a little boy. The origins of the aberration were mysterious; even the Sheikah didn't know where it had originally come from.

What was known about it was that it was a creature with one purpose: to oppose the current Hero. It was thought that it might have once been a Hero itself, but twisted and ruined by an evil power. It was near-immortal, and conventional weapons were useless against it. The only thing that had ever been recorded to damage the monster was the Master Sword, and even then the Hero who had been using it at the time had said that he was unable to kill the thing, and it had fled.

Erik knew he wouldn't be able to kill the creature, either, and it was only a matter of time before it killed him. But, he wouldn't shame his clan by giving up.

He didn't know why it was here in the Sacred Grove, why this foul monster had wormed its way into this holy place, but he hoped to stall the creature long enough for someone to come and back him up. He knew it was extraordinarily unlikely, but he had to keep trying.

The Sheikah warrior began to use his powers more frequently, though it was making him very tired. He continued to leap and spin through the air, never staying in one place for longer than a fraction of a second. Occasionally, he would teleport a few feet, to catch his breath before continuing. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up forever.

He aimed a powerful kick at the Antihero that actually succeeded in knocking the monster over. It screamed with rage as it jumped to its feet and started to pursue Erik as the warrior leaped over to the Master Sword, desperate.

Erik grabbed at it, but it was as if the hilt was coated in oil. He tried frantically to grasp the weapon, but something was keeping him from doing so. There was no pain, no discharge of energy, so he knew the sacred weapon wasn't judging him to have a wicked heart, but it wasn't letting him pull it out, either.

_Why didn't I think of this? _he thought to himself. _I should have known that only the Hero can remove the Master Sword from its pedestal. Why couldn't they have sent someone assigned to the castle to do this?_

The Antihero swatted Erik aside with one hand, leaping over to where he landed and stabbing its sword down. He rolled aside, but the creature kicked him in the gut, sending him flying to crash into a wall. He lost his sword on the way.

It jumped impossibly far and fast, intercepting Erik with another kick on his way to the ground.

The dark monster rose its sword over its head and swung, and Erik knew he wouldn't be able to dodge this time.

* * *

The King's archers were good, but not good enough. They picked dozens of the flying creatures out of the sky, but dozens more swarmed in to take their place.

The ground troops were useless, seeing as how the bird-things never came close enough to swing at.

Next to Colin, Hanch was throwing rocks at the monsters, but he never managed to hit any of them.

Colin was getting very frustrated. He had a sword and shield, and his father and Link had been teaching him how to use them, but he knew he was nowhere near the skill level of his instructors. Even if he could get at the creatures, he still wondered if he would be able to defeat one.

Half of the buildings in Ordon were nothing more than smoking holes in the ground now. Most of the tents the King's party had set up were completely destroyed. Most of the soldiers were probably dead.

And still the avians came.

Their flying fortress was now hovering directly over the village, dropping bombs and other projectiles on anything that moved.

A group of Hyrule soldiers were trying to get the King out of the village, and Colin could see the white-haired old man looking around confusedly. He didn't even seem to know what was going on.

Ilia and the other children had sought refuge in Link's house with that Martyn fellow, but Colin had come into the main village, determined to protect his home.

His house was one of the destroyed buildings. Colin had spent a frantic few minutes looking for his mother and infant sister, and was relieved to find them unharmed. Against his mother's protestations, he had sent them to Link's house without him, intending to do whatever he could to help.

The boy was glad he had picked the Hero's house, since the attackers seemed to be ignoring it altogether. Colin was trying to get the other villagers and the fleeing Hylians to go there, since Link had a nice big basement that everyone could probably fit in.

Talo's parents were almost there, closely followed by Beth's mother. Fado was presumably up at the ranch with the goats, since no one had seen him since the attack began. Colin hoped he was all right.

Colin wondered why the bird-things were attacking Ordon. He thought they might be after the King, but none of the things were going after the small group of soldiers escorting Hyrule's monarch out of the village. They just seemed to be focusing on causing as much destruction as possible.

The boy gave Hanch a shove, telling the little man to go to Link's house.

One of the avian monsters spotted Colin and swooped towards him, shrieking, pulling out a blade on the way.

The boy drew his sword and held his shield at the ready. He just hoped he knew what to do.

* * *

The first thing Link heard when he was whole again was the sound of fighting.

Immediately, the three of them drew their swords and rushed through the ruined temple towards the noise, Link in the lead.

Link perceived Shad at the edge of his vision but ran past him, towards the two men in black. One of them had his sword raised over his head, and as he brought it down, Link demonstrated his Triforce-enhanced reflexes and hurled his Ordon sword into the wall above the fallen man.

It was a perfect throw. The blade buried itself several inches into a tree that had grown into the wall, and the standing man's sword rang as it hit Link's thrown weapon.

The fallen man took advantage of his opponent's surprise and tripped him, his hands grasping Link's sword to pull it out of the tree.

Arnak shoved Link towards the Master Sword, running to the combatants along with Midna, their swords at the ready.

As Link jogged over to the sacred weapon, he stopped as he got a better look at one of the fighters. It was dressed exactly like he was, except in black, and he thought its face looked like his. It was like a twisted mirror image of himself.

It turned around to look straight at him, its unearthly glowing red eyes burning with hate. It saw he was almost to the Master Sword, and it started running towards him, dodging the strikes of Midna, Arnak, and the other man in black.

Link got to the sword first and closed his hands around it, feeling it thrum with power as it recognized its master. As he pulled up on it, Link noticed his doppelganger's face twist into a sneer.

As he drew the sword free of its pedestal, Link allowed himself a second to feel the power of the sword flow through him like an electric thrill, energy simmering in the sacred blade. This was the very best weapon the Hero had ever laid his hands on, and it felt good in his grip again.

Link heard laughing. He looked to see it coming from his twisted double. Link was surprised to note that the timbre of the thing's voice was even similar to his own.

"I knew you could do it, Link. I knew you would do what I could not." It stopped to break into another fit of laughter. "Do you know what you have just done?"

Midna stepped closer to the dark Link, the Twilight Blade flashing in the early morning sunlight. "How about you tell us?"

The creature stabbed its sword into the ground and leaned on it. "The Master Sword has long served a dual purpose. One you know, since you've used the thing before." Its voice adopted a mocking tone. "The Blade of Evil's Bane! Ha!" It spit, the globule landing near Link's boot.

Link was briefly alarmed to hear an acidic hissing. He was suddenly even more glad the thing had missed.

"But, it had another, more important function. It serves as a seal on evil." It leaned closer to Link, as if about to tell him a secret. "A seal that only works when it's _inside_ the pedestal."

The shadow Link held up its left hand so that all of them could see. A Triforce marking appeared, though upside down, and the central triangle, the one that was empty on all of the other markings, began glowing with a pale gray light.

"Behold, foolish mortals! The Triforce of Shadow is unleashed!" It held its hand high in the air, laughing triumphantly.

Its triumphant expression quickly collapsed when the Triforce marking flickered a few times, then fizzled out altogether. The creature snarled and shook its hand a few times, glaring at it suspiciously.

Arnak took advantage of the creature's momentary confusion to tackle it, kicking its sword away. He pinned the aberration's arms behind its back, and then sat on it to immobilize it.

Link walked over and placed the tip of the Master Sword just beneath his twisted double's chin. "Talk."

The creature snarled a vile curse at him and squirmed, straining to get free. But, it seemed, even this thing was inferior to Arnak's Triforce-enhanced strength. Link made a mental note to not irritate the big man if he could help it.

Midna moved beside him, letting the point of her own weapon rest between its eyes. Its red eyes crossed as the dark Link looked up at the Twilight Blade.

"Start with your name." She pressed down a little for emphasis, smiling when a bead of black blood dripped down his doppelganger's nose. Midna could be downright unpleasant when she wanted to be, Link thought.

The shadow Link answered, his voice still unsettlingly like Link's. "I don't really have one, but I guess you can call me Nemo."

Link thought it was somewhat fitting. Nemo meant 'no one' in Old Hylian, and it was also the name of a character in an old legend whose past was uncertain. Link wasn't sure where a monster like this had heard a story like that, and it made him even more curious about its origin.

The man that Nemo had been fighting delivered a vicious kick to the creature's leg. "What are you doing here?"

Link's dark twin snarled and squirmed some more before Arnak struck it across the face. "Answer him."

Its answer came in the form of spit, launched at Arnak's face. The big man jerked his head back, but some of the corrosive saliva landed on him. He leaped to his feet, clawing at his face.

Nemo rolled away, giving Link a mocking grin before leaping straight over the ruined wall and vanishing into the forest.

Midna ran over to Arnak, pulling his hands away from his face and laying her own hand on the spot where the caustic spittle had landed. When she took her hand away, it was gone, the damage repaired.

"Thank you," Arnak said, touching the healed area.

Midna gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Anytime."

Nemo's opponent extended Link's Ordon sword to him, hilt first. The Hero nodded his thanks as he took it, frowning as he noted the deep gouge in the blade where his shadow twin's sword had struck it.

The Hero smiled briefly as he looked at his two swords before sheathing the Ordon one and shrinking it into his 'pocket' underneath his Hylian shield. He concentrated on his mental inventory of his 'pocket's contents, and the Master Sword's blue-and-gold scabbard appeared on his back in place of the Ordon sword's. Smirking at Midna, he twirled the Master Sword twice before putting it away.

The black-garbed warrior extended his hand, and Link shook it, feeling the strength in the other man's grip. As he did, he noted that the man had red irises, like the elderly woman Impaz the Hero had met in the Hidden Village.

"Well met, Hero. I am Erik."

"Link."

Recovered from the brief battle, the small group introduced the members that did not already know each other and stood around the Master Sword's pedestal, deciding what they would do next.

* * *

Author's Note:(Chapter originally posted 8/28/07, revised 4/1/08) I didn't do a lot to this chapter beyond smoothing out some of the wording and expanding a few descriptions, but I did add a little more info on Erik, to clear up a minor plothole I noticed a while ago. The story gets a lot better from here on out, I think, and there will likely be fewer revisions as I go along.


	7. Confrontations

Seven

The most pressing matter for discussion by the small group of warriors gathered in the Sacred Grove was, of course, how Nemo had obtained the Triforce of Shadow.

"Could he have gone through the same portal you did, Midna?" Shad asked.

The Twilight Princess shook her head. "If he did, he must be able to walk through walls or something. When we found the portal room, it took four of us to get the outer door open, and when I was walking through the passage, the floor was covered in dust and there were a bunch of spiderwebs in there." She shrugged. "I guess that was why I thought it was just an abandoned storage room. We found enough of those."

Link was thoughtful. As the only other member of the group to have been inside the Palace of Twilight, he knew his question -and the answer to it- wouldn't make sense to anyone but Midna. "Which part of the Palace was the entrance in?"

"It was in the main building, in the large room right before the throne room entryway. You know, the one with all the floating platforms and the really big royal seal on the wall that had a ledge at the bottom?"

The Hero chuckled. "You mean the room where that blasted Zant head kept knocking me off the platforms before I could use my Clawshot?"

Midna smiled. "That's the one. Well, the door to the portal was on that ledge underneath the giant royal seal. One of my guards found it by accident."

Link rubbed his chin. "You know, when we went through there, I figured that platform went there for a reason."

She laughed. "That's right! You must have spent ten minutes staring at that wall before I finally got you to leave."

"So how did he get the Shadow Triforce if he didn't use that portal? He couldn't have used the Mirror of Twilight, since it was destroyed." Link was puzzled; How many entrances did the Twilight Realm have?

Erik spoke up for the first time in their discussion. "I might have an answer. This creature is known to my people."

They all turned to the Sheikah warrior.

"I suppose I'd better tell you a bit about it first. We call it the Antihero. Its sole purpose is to oppose the chosen warrior of the gods. Not even our oldest texts tell us the origin of the thing, but we do know some things about it.

"It can change shape to match the appearance of the Hero. What you saw was its natural form, but Nemo could change to look exactly like you if he so chose. He may do this to confuse people and turn them against you.

"The creature possesses great strength and speed, but little to no magical ability. It relies mostly on its physical skills to defeat opponents, and it is said to have considerable sword skills."

"To match the Hero," Midna said.

Erik nodded before continuing. "His abilities are usually the equal of the Hero, and he occasionally possesses devices that the current Hero has been seen using. He is very dangerous, and you must not underestimate him.

"As to how the creature came to be in possession of the Shadow Triforce, I have a theory. Most of you know about the Mirror of Twilight and how it was used to send criminals to the Twilight Realm, correct?"

"The Twilight Princess found a secondary portal, but there are others. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be telling you even this much, but this knowledge is something you deserve to know." Erik looked over at Midna before continuing. "There are three more entrances to the Twilight Realm besides the Mirror of Twilight and the portal you found. Only one goes both ways, and all are hidden in abandoned cities. Precautions have been taken to ensure only a select few know about them, but I believe the Antihero used one of these to travel to the Twilight Realm and somehow got his hands on the Triforce of Shadow. He found that he was unable to use it, so he came here, thinking that the Master Sword was sealing its powers."

"But when I took out the Master Sword, Nemo's Triforce disappeared. Why was that?" Link asked.

Midna looked thoughtful for a moment. "Okay, this is only a theory, and it's kind of out there, so bear with me. I think…" She paused for a second. "I think that since the Triforce of Shadow was made by a man, Ganondorf, it may not function like the other pieces. The Sages said that he modeled it after the piece he already had, the Triforce of Power. But, no matter how much he might think otherwise, Ganon is not a god. He might have made a mistake when he made the Shadow piece."

Link was starting to see what she was getting at. "And, being Ganon, he might have somehow made it so it would only work if he was the one using it. That might explain why it drove Zant insane when he tried to use it."

"Has anyone given any thought to what would happen if all four pieces were brought together?" Arnak said. "Zelda told me that when all three original pieces are joined, whoever touches the Triforce gets a wish granted by the gods. What would happen if the Shadow piece were placed in the center?"

"I believe I can answer that."

They turned to see a single Sage standing a few feet away. The marking on his robe was the same symbol that Link had seen in quite a few places in the Temple of Time, the ruins of which they were currently sitting in.

"You must never let Ganondorf's Triforce come into physical contact with the Three Pieces made by the Goddesses. It was made with foul Shadow magic, and is nearly the polar opposite of the holy relics. If Ganon's Shadow piece is placed in the center of the Triforce, the reaction would be catastrophic. This world might be undone."

Link was about to ask a question, but the Sage continued speaking.

"Hero, we promised to tell you more after the battle in Castle Town. I will tell you what we meant to tell you then, but I must be brief, since there is another fight that requires your attention." The ghostly Sage turned to Shad. "Your theory about the City in the Sky is correct, young one. The creatures the Hero encountered there did not build that city.

"What you currently know as Oocca are not the race from which that name originated. They were bred as pets for the nobility, and when the original owners of the city abandoned it, the pets were eventually confused with their masters, since they had a measure of intelligence bred into them.

"Also, what the Hero and the Twilight Princess explored was not the entire city. You may have noticed a fourth path at the entrance to the city, which was broken off."

Link and Midna nodded at this.

"The real Oocca took most of their floating city to another part of the world, where they have stayed peacefully for the last several hundred years. But, they recently experienced a change in leadership, and their new ruler is militaristic and bloodthirsty, intending to enslave or destroy all those who live on the ground. He has brought the city back to Hyrule, and has been attacking with flying fortresses all over the world."

Link was so shocked and enraged at what the Sage said next that he was utterly speechless.

"One of these fortresses is currently attacking your hometown of Ordon."

* * *

Talo wished he could do more. But, since a tree had fallen in front of the door to Link's house, he was effectively trapped in here. He was at the very top of the house, peering out of the window at the battle in the village.

From what the boy could see, it wasn't going well. Everyone from the village except Colin, Fado, and the Mayor were in Link's house, milling around the main floor anxiously. A few of the King's servants were inside, as well, but the monarch himself was nowhere to be found.

Ilia and Beth had gone down to the basement to see what supplies Link had down there. Talo had assigned himself the duty of lookout, and was standing on Link's bed to see out of the window.

He hadn't seen Colin in a while, and that worried him. He knew his friend had stayed in the village to help defend it, but even the King's soldiers were getting cut down out there. Talo wondered how much of a chance Colin had.

Talo hadn't ever had to deal with death much before. He hadn't ever seen a dead body before today, and now he could see several from his perch. He forced himself not to look at them, and to instead focus on what was still moving.

Wait, what was that? Talo saw a flash of yellow and strained to get a better look. He wished he had a Hawkeye like Link. Talo leaned so far out of the window that he almost fell out, and had to catch himself.

Yes, it was definitely Colin. His friend was running for the bridge near Talo's house, being pursued by one of those bird-things.

Talo's view was partially obstructed by trees, but he could still see his friend duck under the bridge as the feathered creature smashed into it. He pumped his fist in the air at seeing this. "Take that!" he yelled.

He saw Colin roll out from under the bridge and take a swing at the thing with his sword. Talo heard a screech, and assumed that the slice had connected.

The bird creature grabbed Colin's arms and shook him until the boy dropped his sword and shield. It started to fly upwards, clearly intent on taking Talo's friend up to the massive flying fortress that still hovered over the village.

It was most of the way up when Talo heard another screech and the thing dropped Colin. It started to fall, too, when Talo saw three more arrows sprout from the bird-creature's chest.

Surprised, Talo looked around saw half a dozen men rush into the village, running past Link's house. Two of them were sprinting at top speed towards where Colin was falling. One man whipped off his cloak and tossed one end to his partner.

They skidded to a halt just as Colin hit the outstretched cloak and bounced into the air a few feet. One of the men caught him as he was coming back down and took off running back to the entrance to the village, dodging the still-falling bombs and swerving around the wreckage in his path.

Talo saw three men with bows in their hands and quivers on their backs leap up to where the tree had fallen in front of Link's door. One of them climbed up the side of Link's house until he was on the part of the roof that ran under Talo's window and took up position there.

The warrior, a roguish-looking man with bright eyes and a trim dark beard visible under his hood, grinned at Talo before he started firing off bomb arrows at the bird-creatures' flying fortress. Talo could see the other two archers firing regular arrows at the bird-monsters.

The boy was relieved that the strangers had shown up and were helping, but he wouldn't feel truly safe until the Hero came to protect them.

Talo wished he would come soon.

* * *

Telma idly scratched her cat behind the ears as she sat, waiting. Louise mewed at her and wandered off, sniffing at a few of the other cats that had somehow made their way down here.

A few feet away, Ashei and Rusl were practicing with their weapons, while a few townspeople who were interested in learning to fight watched.

The group of survivors had set up camp in an abandoned chamber of the waterways far under Castle Town whose purpose had been forgotten by time. Most of the civilians had separated into small groups, staying with those they knew from their neighborhoods and workplaces.

The short journey here had been difficult, as there had been a few sudden drops, lots of water, and the occasional giant rat. Fortunately, nobody had been seriously injured.

The three adult Gorons who had been in Castle Town at the time of the attack had taken it upon themselves to patrol the perimeter of the camp. The two young ones were playing with some of the Hylian children.

Beyond the dim torchlight, Telma could see two figures approaching. She couldn't make them out very well, to tell if they were friend or foe, but it couldn't hurt to be cautious.

She waved Rusl and Ashei over, picking up her shoulder cannon and propping it against her leg. Easily accessible, but not exactly threatening, either.

As the two figures got closer, Telma could gradually tell that one of them was Auru. She set the cannon down and stepped closer to one of the torches, intending to greet her friend. Perhaps Link had found the older man and was coming back to help them defend the encampment.

Telma dropped to one knee as the other person came into the light. So did everyone else that could see the Princess.

An awed hush fell over the encampment of survivors as the news spread. Most of them had never met Princess Zelda, and some had never even seen her before.

"Rise," she said. There was no force in her voice, but it carried across the whole camp.

Telma looked at the ruler of the kingdom and was surprised at how young she looked. Zelda couldn't have been more than nineteen or twenty. The Princess moved to the approximate center of the camp and stopped there while the crowd of people settled down around her, waiting for silence before she started speaking.

Her first words were depressing, but everyone there had already accepted them as the truth. "The castle is taken."

"But," she continued, "there is hope. The Hero is doing his best to combat the threat, and he has assistance from the new bearer of the Triforce of Power."

Most of the survivors had met Arnak, and were heartened at this.

"There are still enemies here, and we need to leave this place if we all want to survive. I have come to lead you to safety. There is a small village south of Faron Woods where we should be able to go without difficulty."

Rusl perked up at hearing his home village mentioned.

"The King should already be there, and I will be bringing any soldiers I can find to protect us on the way." Zelda looked around at the survivors of the siege. "I do not promise the journey will be easy, but I will do my very best to take all of you to Ordon safely."

A voice called out from the crowd. "So we're just abandoning our home?"

The Princess turned to the voice, a determined look on her face. "We are not. When the time is right, the Hero and the Hyrule soldiers are going to take back the city. Do not think of this as a defeat, but merely a setback."

Zelda looked at the crowd again, making eye contact with as many of them as she could. "We will return here, and we will carry on with our lives. I know that the last year has been very hard on us all, but I know that together, we can overcome any obstacle Fate chooses to set before us."

She stepped away, signaling that her speech was over. The crowd dispersed, starting to pack up and get ready to go, murmuring among themselves.

As Zelda and Auru passed Telma, she heard the Princess talking with the older man. "I only hope the Hero succeeds in his mission. If he does not, I fear for us all."

* * *

Link leaped to his feet, looking ready to run out of the temple then and there. Midna was ready to join him. She had never formally met any of the residents of Ordon herself, but she had seen them plenty of times from Link's shadow. She knew how he felt about the people of his home village, and felt a similar sense of protectiveness towards her friend's surrogate family.

The Sage gestured, and a barrier appeared across the entrance to the room. "Do not be impatient, Hero. They are receiving help as we speak. I must inform you of one last essential thing, and then you may leave."

Midna kept herself from scoffing. The Sages could be so pretentious!

"You must pursue the creature you fought here. He may not be able to use the Triforce of Shadow, but the object is still within him." The Sage turned to look at the wall Nemo had jumped over when he fled. "You will not be able to catch him at this time, but I believe he is bound for the Gerudo Desert. One of Ganon's fortresses is there, where a number of his writings are stored, and the aberration may be headed there to find some answers."

He turned to Midna. "Since the Twilight Princess has control over the warp portals, you can still help your friends, then warp to the desert and follow the Antihero. You may want to follow him to the fortress before you confront him, for there are many secrets within that you may be interested in learning."

The Sage waved again and the force field disappeared. "We will speak again when it is convenient." It faded out of sight.

They agreed to rest for a few minutes before going to Ordon. Erik was still a little sore from his battle with Nemo, and they all wanted to be at their best during the coming battle. Link was visibly impatient, though, and he spent most of the break pacing, clenching and unclenching his hands.

Midna walked over to where Nemo's sword had landed and poked it with her foot, not wanting to touch anything that had belonged to such a vile creature. It didn't move or hiss at her or anything, as she expected, so she gathered a handful of her robe and picked it up with that.

It vaguely resembled Link's Ordon sword, but was of poor craftsmanship, with the handle wrapped in cheap, low-quality leather. The blade was pitted and rusted, like it had been left out in a few storms and never cleaned properly. It was in terrible condition, and Midna was immediately even more disgusted with the creature, Link's attitude toward weapons having rubbed off on her at some point during their journey together. If Nemo was supposed to be some kind of twisted double of Link, he was certainly opposite the Hero in his treatment of his equipment.

Midna thought she saw some kind of lettering on the blade, but as soon as her fingers touched the sword to brush away some of the grime, the blade shattered into powder, blowing away in the slight breeze. She tossed the hilt away in disgust. What sort of weapon was this?

On the other side of the chamber, near the entrance, she saw Erik and Shad talking with Link about the temple, gesturing at the ruined structure as they spoke.

Arnak came over to her and spoke in a low voice. "Are we bringing those two with us to Ordon?"

"I don't see why not," she answered. "Why do you ask?"

The big man frowned. "Well, I do not trust that Erik fellow. There is something… off about him. He unsettles me somehow." He gestured at Shad. "And the little one with glasses does not look like he even knows how to hold a sword. I would have to look after him in battle, and that is something I do not enjoy."

Midna whispered back. "Don't tell Link, but I have the same opinion of both of them. If you ask me, our Hero is a little too trusting for his own good. We'll both of us keep an eye on Erik in case he tries anything sneaky, okay?"

Arnak nodded as the other three men walked over to where they were standing.

"Ready to go?" asked Link. He had his sword in his hand already, and a determined look in his eye.

Midna spread her arms as they gathered around, and the five of them disintegrated into black squares, headed for the portal at Ordon Spring.

* * *

Arnak still didn't like being teleported. It wasn't painful, just unsettling. It didn't seem natural to be broken up and then re-formed.

But, since this sorceress Midna was going to be traveling with him, he supposed he had better get used to it. They had both agreed to keep an eye on Erik, but the person Arnak was going to be focusing his suspicion on was this Twilight Princess. It was a personal rule of his to never trust anyone with magical powers. He knew she had helped him after Nemo had spit acid on him, but in Arnak's experience, magic users were unpredictable and dangerous.

As they ran along the forest path, he smirked to himself despite the situation. By his own rule, he ought not to trust himself, since he had discovered a wide array of abilities that might be considered magical since his Triforce had appeared.

All other thoughts were driven from his mind as the flying fortress came into view.

A low, almost guttural growl started building in Arnak's throat. He felt himself start to shift, but forcibly pushed that urge down, seeking to replace it with calm. It would not do to turn into a bear now. It would provide a satisfying outlet for his rage, but it would frighten the villagers, and he did not want to do that.

They came into a small clearing with a house built out of a hollow tree on one side, and a few men were gathered there, some of them firing arrows at the fortress and the flying creatures that swarmed over the village. Arnak recognized them as members of his group and jogged over to a tall man in a blue cloak.

"Ivan, how goes the battle?" he said without preamble.

Ivan's face temporarily registered surprise at seeing his commander here, but true to form, Arnak's second-in-command recovered quickly. "Most of the buildings are destroyed except for this house, where most of the survivors are." Ivan gestured at the structure behind them, where two of the men were straining to move a tree that had been blasted out of the ground and landed in front of the door.

Arnak looked up and saw another of his men, Raskys, on the roof of the house blasting away at the fortress with bomb arrows.

"Have we lost anyone?" he asked Ivan.

The other man shook his head. "No, sir. Theomer caught some shrapnel in his leg, but he insists he's fine."

"Have Kraytos take a look at him anyway. He's still with your group, isn't he?"

"Yes, sir." Ivan gestured with his sword out at the village, his voice low. "We've only been here for about half an hour, but we've already managed to kill twenty of them."

Arnak smiled grimly. "Good." He gestured behind him at the others. "I brought some allies to help us. This is Link, the Hero, Midna, the Twilight Princess, Erik, a Sheikah warrior, and Shad, a scholar."

Ivan nodded to them. "Good to meet you."

Link simply nodded as he climbed up the nearby ladder and helped the two men break the log into smaller pieces to get it out of the way of the door.

Arnak drew Ivan aside while the rest of the group talked with his men about where they could best help. "Is Jorrek's group anywhere near here?"

"No, sir. They are in the Eldin lands. Cassius is north, searching Zora's Domain. There are some Hyrule Soldiers still alive, but most of them left with the King. I'm afraid we're on our own for the time being."

"Where did the King go?"

Ivan shrugged. "None of them would tell me."

Arnak kicked a rock. "Blasted fools!" He stopped and looked back at the entrance to the clearing, frowning. "Princess Zelda is leading a group of refugees from Castle Town here." He sighed. "This village was supposed to be a safe haven for them."

The big man looked around. "Send Eddard and Shad up the road. Maybe they can intercept Zelda's group before they walk into this catastrophe."

Ivan whistled sharply and waved one of the men trying to move the tree down to him. He relayed Arnak's instructions as the big man moved into the main village to survey it for himself.

Totally destroyed, just like every other place the bird-creatures had hit. At least now he knew what they were called; Oocca. Arnak scoffed. It was not at all a fearsome-sounding name. Disappointing, really.

Arnak heard a familiar screech. He looked up to see an Oocca swooping toward him, a bomb clutched in its claws. Drawing a throwing knife from his belt, he readied his arm and waited for the opportune moment.

When the creature was about eighty feet away from him, he threw the small dagger with practiced skill. It hit the bomb in exactly the right place, and the explosive and creature disappeared in a bright flash of light and smoke thirty feet over the big man's head.

Arnak started to turn around, ready to pull his men and the survivors out, when he noticed what he had thought was a body roll over. Staying low, -something that was difficult for someone who was almost seven feet tall- he ran over to the body to check it.

Arrows and bombs continued to fall like rain around him as his men and the remaining Hyrule archers fired at the Oocca, and the flying creatures retaliated. He was nearly hit a few times, and was attacked by an Oocca twice, though the bird-creatures were no match for him.

When he reached the survivor, Arnak saw it was a man, in his late forties or early fifties, bald, with a mustache. He was bleeding from a minor head wound, probably the one that had knocked him unconscious, but was otherwise fine. He slowly blinked his eyes and groaned.

"Wh- What's going on?" he said, holding a hand to his head.

Arnak pulled the man to his feet. "Your village is under attack, and we're leaving, now."

The man pulled away, looking around desperately. "Wait! My daughter, where is she? I'm not leaving without her!"

Arnak grabbed the man's arm and pulled him toward the edge of the village where the other defenders were gathered. "She is probably with the rest of the survivors. Now, let's go!"

A bomb hurtled down and exploded a few feet away from where the two men were standing, knocking them to the ground. The man Arnak had rescued helped the big man to his feet and they ran for safety, dodging more explosions and falling arrows

Arnak rescued a Hyrule Soldier and a woman who looked like one of the King's servants on their way back to the house his men were defending. Once they arrived, the villager Arnak had rescued charged up the ladder of the house to help move the tree. Arnak looked around to see what the others were doing.

Link had joined Raskys on the roof, and was also firing bomb arrows at the massive flying fortress.

Erik had made his way up to the treetops, and was nimbly leaping between them, slashing at any flying creatures that got too close. It was an incredible display of skill, but Arnak considered it a waste of energy.

Midna was firing bursts of magical energy from her hands at the fortress, dealing it great damage. Great swaths of the structure vanished every time one of her blasts connected with it, and Arnak was impressed with the display of her power. Combined with Raskys and Link's bomb arrows, the Oocca structure was beginning to crumble.

Finally, it appeared that whoever was in command of the flying fortress had had enough. A shrilling screech echoed out from the structure, and the surviving bird-creatures started flying back to it. The monstrous flying castle clawed its way back up into the sky, eventually vanishing among the clouds.

* * *

The Castle Town refugees followed Zelda through the passages of the waterways, emerging out of a secret entrance to the south of the city few knew of.

Zelda was disappointed to find a group of soldiers already there, running for the exit to Hyrule Field. When they noticed the refugees, they came over to them, claiming that they were searching for survivors. Almost everyone knew better, but they were glad to have what protection the soldiers could provide.

The Princess walked at the head of the column, with Telma's group spread through the crowd of civilians to keep them going in the right direction.

Zelda shivered. It was getting towards the end of the year, and the days were cooling off. It was cold in the mornings, when the sun was still low in the sky. She felt someone slip a cloak over her shoulders, and Telma smiled at her as she turned to thank the bartender.

It was large, obviously made for someone much taller than her, and it dragged a few inches on the ground. The cloak was brown, and scratchy to the touch on the outside, but the inside was soft, with a few pockets and loops sewn into the lining.

Curious, Zelda looked through the pockets of the cloak as she walked. She found two small knives and a pack of matches, but more interesting was a small framed pictograph of a smiling woman.

Thankfully, Hyrule Field was free of monsters that day, and Zelda walked with no distractions as she examined the pictograph more closely.

The woman was very beautiful, probably in her late twenties or early thirties, with long red hair and blue eyes. She had some kind of pendant around her neck, but the picture was too small to tell what it was.

When the group stopped for a rest break, Zelda opened the frame to see if there was any writing on the back of the pictograph. She wanted to know who this woman was, since she reminded Zelda somewhat of her long-dead mother. She wondered who the cloak originally belonged to, since it was unlikely it belonged to Telma.

There was only one word written on the back, but it was in a unfamiliar alphabet. Zelda thought that it was probably the woman's name, but she wasn't sure. The Princess again wondered who the cloak belonged to, and where they were from. She looked at the cloak again and thought that it might belong to Arnak, since it was certainly big enough for him. Also, he had said something about his wife, but he had only mentioned her once, and hadn't said anything about her being with him now.

Zelda was saddened as she realized that, if the woman in the picture was Arnak's wife, then she was probably not still alive. She carefully set the pictograph back in its frame and closed it, placing it back in the pocket she had found it in.

The Princess heard running footsteps, and looked up to see two men coming towards the group. One of them was dressed in warrior's garb, a sword at his side, and the other was a young, scholarly-looking man. Neither of them was familiar to her.

Telma walked over to her as the two men slowed to a stop. "Shad!" she called out, waving. "Who's your friend?"

The smaller man, who was wearing glasses, answered. He was out of breath, and there were pauses in between a few of his words. "This… is Eddard. He's with… Arnak's group."

The other man bowed. "Pleased to meet you." He wasn't out of breath at all. Since Shad was still catching his breath, Eddard continued. "We have come to warn you away from Ordon Village. It has been attacked."

There were gasps and groans from the crowd. Zelda heard several shouted questions, ranging from "What happened?" to "Where will we go now?"

Rusl pushed his way through to where Eddard was standing, his face concerned. "Were there survivors?"

The warrior nodded. "Yes. Quite a few people had taken refuge in a house just outside the main village. I didn't see any civilian casualties when I was there, but some of the King's soldiers were wounded or dead."

"Is my father safe?" Zelda asked the man.

"You are Princess Zelda?" Eddard asked.

"Yes," she answered.

The warrior shook his head. "I am sorry, but I did not see the King while I was there. His guards may have already taken him somewhere else."

Zelda sighed. Ordon was supposed to be a safe place. Where was she going to take these people now?

* * *

Erik's senses prickled, as if he was being watched. He turned to see one of Arnak's men looking at him. The man saw Erik looking back at him, and he flipped him a jaunty salute before going back to what he was doing, which was searching the bodies of the Oocca the men had slain.

The Sheikah warrior tried to remember what the man's name was. He thought Arnak had called him Raskys or Rascal or something like that. The man certainly looked rascally enough. Erik hadn't really been listening to their conversation, but his sharp ears had picked some of it up anyway.

He had started paying attention when he thought he heard Arnak tell the man to watch Erik, but be unobtrusive about it.

Erik turned as someone called his name. It was Link, the Hero. "Could you come here, please?" the green-clad warrior called.

Raskys came jogging over as well, at Arnak's signal.

Link, Midna, Arnak, and Ivan were standing next to the stable on the side of Link's house. The rest of Arnak's men were helping the villagers search through the rubble of their homes for anything salvageable.

Midna greeted him. "We need to get going if we're going to get to the Gerudo Desert before Nemo. We have to pick a hiding place to watch for him, and all that."

"Who is coming with us?" Erik asked.

"I am, for one," said Raskys. "I know my way around the western desert pretty well, and I've had some contact with a few of the tribes that live there."

Arnak turned to Ivan. "I will be staying with the Hero. Take the rest of the men and the villagers and rendezvous with Princess Zelda's group. Protect them with your lives, and obey any orders the Princess gives you." He started to turn away, but stopped. "On second thought, leave Theomer and Benjen here in case the King comes back. His party will need to know where to go."

"Yes, sir." Ivan left to relay his commander's orders.

One of the villagers walked up to their little group, accompanied by a young woman who Erik thought was probably the man's daughter. The man had a bandage on his head, but he looked like he was all right.

He extended his hand to Link, grinning broadly. "Well, you've saved us again, Link. There's no doubt in my mind that you're a true hero."

Link smiled modestly.

"I know you have to get goin' an' all, but I have somethin' to give you. Ilia?" The man waved his daughter forward.

The young woman handed Link a wrapped package. "We found this when the King's servants were cleaning out Father's Sumo room."

The man gestured at the package. "They're called Icarus Wings. Don't ask me where the name comes from, 'cause I don't know. They belonged to my father, an' I used 'em a bit in my younger days, but I completely forgot I had 'em, otherwise I would have given 'em to you sooner. They let you fly short distances, but they're real hard to control and they tend to give out on you occasionally. Be careful when you use 'em."

"Thank you," Link said, stowing the package behind his shield without opening it.

The group that was going to the desert clustered around Midna, used to the routine by now.

Just as they were preparing to go, the young woman, Ilia, ran up to Link and hugged him tightly, whispering something in his ear before kissing him on the cheek and running back to stand by her father.

Link smiled at her, and the villagers waved as the group walked out of sight.

* * *

Author's Note: Reviews are always welcome. (Chapter orginally posted 9/3/07, revised 4/2-3/08) I didn't do much to this chapter beyond fixing some places where the wording could have been better, and I expanded a few of the descriptions, also. The next chapter marks the end of my major revisions, as I'm pretty happy with the story from Chapter 9 onwards.


	8. Consequences

Eight

The still air of the Gerudo Desert, long undisturbed, settled over a lone mesa in the expanse of sand. This area of the desert had not seen activity in several months, but suddenly, a portal, black, with blue-green lines of energy pulsing through it, flared into existence over the mesa. It continued to pulse for several moments, and then a line of black squares descended out of the vortex at the center of the portal. The line of squares split into several smaller lines, and five humanoid figures took shape out of the line of squares, resolving into the Hero of Light, the Twilight Princess, and three companions, one of whom towered over the others. Above them, the portal shrank out of sight, dormant until its next use.

The first thing Midna did after the group materialized was make sand-colored cloaks and scarves for everyone with her magic, handing them out to the gathered warriors. They put them on and hunkered down in what little shade there was on the mesa, preparing for a long wait. Link took first watch, wearing his Hawkeye to scan for his doppelganger as he occasionally sipped from a canteen.

Arnak immediately went to sleep, his hood over his face, saving his energy for when they would follow the creature. Raskys did the same, drawing his sword and laying it next to him on the sand.

Midna found herself unable to sleep, and put herself on secondary watch. She was scanning the horizon with magically enhanced vision when the Sheikah warrior Erik crawled up next to her, wearing his own Hawkeye. He looked back and forth over the bright desert sand while he talked quietly.

"Have you seen anything yet?" he asked her.

Midna smirked. "Have you heard me say 'There he is' yet?"

"Well, no."

"Then, no, I haven't." Midna refocused her vision back to normal and looked over at Erik. "Let me ask you something."

"Go ahead," he said, taking a sip from his canteen.

"How did you know all that stuff about the Twilight Realm that I didn't? I'm from there, so it's kind of embarrassing."

She saw him smile wryly under his Hawkeye. "Like how you're supposed to be a member of the royal family and you knew nothing about the Shadow Guardian or the portal it guards?"

Midna dearly wanted to flash a light in front of his Hawkeye or something, but settled for scowling at him instead. "Well?"

"The Sheikah make it our business to know things that other people don't. We know quite a bit about the Twilight Realm because we used to send agents there every once in a while." He pulled off one of his gloves and showed her the glowing blue marking on the back of his hand. "I got this in the Twilight Realm. It lets me use the portals you and your friend made a while ago, among other things."

The Twilight Princess looked over at the Sheikah suspiciously. "I think you have some explaining to do. How have you Sheikah been coming and going in my world without me finding out about it?"

Erik took off his Hawkeye and looked over at her, genuine puzzlement in his red eyes. "You mean your father never told you about the other portals? I would think that he would tell his successor about these things before you took over. He didn't seem like the kind of man to leave his daughter in the dark, at least, not when I talked to him."

"You met my father?!" Midna cringed when Link looked over at them. She lowered her voice, remembering that sound carried a long way over empty ground. "When?"

"He never told you?" Erik still appeared genuinely surprised that she didn't know what he was talking about.

Midna barely kept her voice to a strangled whisper. "Would I be acting like this if he had?"

Erik frowned thoughtfully. "Hmm. This is surprising. Of course, none of us have been to the Twilight World in several years, so if he died suddenly, he might not have had the chance to tell you. He didn't leave any records about us?"

"No. I grew up thinking that the Mirror of Twilight was the only way in or out of my world." She lifted her cloak slightly to show him the Twilight Blade. "I suppose you're going to tell me where this came from, too?"

Erik shook his head. "I have no idea. Where did you find it?"

She briefly told him about the portal room and her battle with the Shadow Guardian. His facial expressions ranged from thoughtful to puzzled during her description.

"About the only thing I can tell you is that it was probably made by someone who spent a lot of time with the Master Sword. Or it was made at the same time as the Hylian weapon. I've never heard anything about it before."

The Twilight Princess rolled her eyes. "Finally, something you _don't_ know." She suddenly thought of something. "Say, where were you Sheikah during Zant's invasion, anyway? I thought you were supposed to be protectors of the royal family, and I never saw any of you the whole time."

"A few of our castle agents were caught in the Twilight, but most of us are usually out of the country. Protecting Hyrule's royal family is only one of our duties. We also have a global information network to maintain."

The nonchalant way he dispensed surprising information caused Midna to chuckle briefly. "You're a strange bunch of people, you know that?"

The Sheikah warrior grinned at her. "Thank you."

As Midna looked up, she saw Link drop to the ground and spread his cloak out, motioning the others to do the same. She slithered on her belly across the sand under her cloak until she was next to him. "See him?"

"Yup." Link pointed toward a moving black speck about a mile away. If Midna hadn't been looking for it, she never would have noticed.

She zoomed in with her magic vision. It was Nemo, all right. He was still without a sword, but he was using his shield to swat aside the burrowing sand worms that leaped out at him every once in a while. She could practically hear him swearing and snarling from here.

He obviously knew where he was going, however, because every so often, he would stop, look up, and consult what looked like a compass before adjusting his course.

Midna looked back to see Erik put away his Hawkeye and touch Arnak's shoulder. The big man instantly awoke, quietly drawing his handaxe as the Sheikah warrior moved to wake Raskys.

The smaller man shook some of the sand out of his black hair and beard before rolling over the edge of the rock formation, dropping to the ground, and landing quietly. He moved off quickly, keeping low to the ground. Every once in a while, he would stop and Midna would lose sight of him for a few seconds. His tan cloak helped him to blend into the sand, and if he remained still, he was practically invisible, Midna's intention when she'd made the things.

Arnak waited until Raskys was almost out of sight, then he moved off, motioning the others to follow him.

They kept their hoods up, wrapping their scarves over their lower faces to filter out some of the blowing sand. The wind had picked up, and was carrying the granules with it, obscuring their vision.

Midna and Link stayed close together as the party tailed Nemo. Arnak was in the lead, and every few minutes, he would gesture for them to drop and stay still, based on signals he got from Raskys. Erik brought up the rear, watching for any reinforcements the Antihero might have.

Arnak waved for them to stop again. They ducked behind a rock outcropping and waited. The four of them hunched over, pulling their cloaks around them to keep out the sand.

Raskys appeared as if out of thin air next to them.

"What's going on?" Arnak asked. His voice was low, making it difficult to hear him over the wind.

"He's stopped," Raskys answered, gesturing past the outcropping. "He's about fifty yards in front of us, just lying on the ground. I don't know what he's doing. Maybe sleeping, or something."

"How close are we to Ganon's fortress?"

Raskys squinted through the blowing sand at the landmarks. "I've never been inside, but there are some ruins and a pyramid about two miles in the direction he's going. The locals say the pyramid is cursed, and none of them will go near it."

Midna sighed. "Sounds like that's what we're looking for, then. Which locals are you talking about?"

Raskys drank from a canteen before answering. "They call themselves Zuna. They say they used to have a flourishing civilization and ruled most of this desert, before there was some kind of disaster and they abandoned all of their cities. The Gerudo moved into a few of them for a while, but nobody's heard from them in decades."

Link spoke up. "Isn't Ganondorf Gerudo?"

Erik answered him. "Yes. He used to be their king, but after he invaded Hyrule and was defeated by the Hero of Time, they disappeared. We think they either died out or moved somewhere else."

Midna scoffed. "Even _you_ don't know where they went? They must really be good at hiding."

"So what do we do now?" Arnak said. "Do we try to beat him to the pyramid and ambush him there, or do we keep following the creature?"

Link asked Erik a question that Midna thought was out of the blue. "Do you have a Gossip Stone?" He pulled a small multifaceted gem out of one of his belt pouches and held it up for Erik to see.

Erik reached into his pocket and pulled out a similar item.

"Okay. I have a plan." They all leaned in closer to Link to hear it. "Since Raskys knows how to get to the pyramid, he and I will go on ahead and try to beat Nemo there. Arnak, Midna and Erik will keep following him, and when he gets there, we'll ambush him and take the Shadow Triforce. Erik and I can keep in contact with the Gossip Stones." He and the Sheikah warrior touched the stones together, attuning them to each other.

"I just want to make one change to that plan," Midna said.

"What is it?"

"I'm going with you."

Link shook his head. "Not this time." He gestured at the Master Sword, whose hilt was poking out from underneath his cloak. "We need a sword that can hurt him with the following group in case he sees me or Raskys and tries to escape. Remember, you drew blood with the Twilight Blade back in the Sacred Grove."

Midna couldn't fault his logic. But, she didn't like it either. "I suppose you're right." She turned to Raskys. "What's he doing now?"

Raskys had a telescope up to his eye as he peered around the outcropping. "He's still just laying there. I can see him breathing, so I know he didn't fall over dead from the heat, like I'm about to." He took a swig from his canteen and tapped Link on the shoulder. "Ready to go? We'd better leave before he stops doing… whatever it is he's doing and starts moving again."

Link nodded and the two of them moved off.

Midna watched him go, hoping nothing would happen to him before she saw him again.

* * *

Colin was sad that his home was gone, but he was happy to see his father again. Rusl was very proud to learn that Colin had aided in the defense of the village, and told him that he would be a fine warrior someday.

The Castle Town survivors and the Ordon villagers were in Faron Woods, in the clearing with the lantern oil salesman's shack and the new Malo Mart. His friend -who hadn't been in Ordon during the attack- was handing out blankets and other assorted supplies, 'in the spirit of philanthropy.' Colin had had to ask his father what 'philanthropy' meant.

The boy had been awed to meet Princess Zelda, and had immediately told his friends about it. Talo was jealous, of course, but then so was everyone else. It wasn't often simple villagers from the outlying provinces got to meet royalty.

The Princess, Mayor Bo, and most of the adults were meeting to decide where to take the refugees next. Ivan and his men were also in the meeting.

Colin had only gotten to talk to Link for a little while before the Hero had to leave again. He was also glad to hear that Colin had helped during the attack, and commended him for sending people to his house for shelter.

He hadn't gotten a chance to meet the people Link left with, and the boy was still wondering who they were. He was especially intrigued by the beautiful woman with the orange hair and the tall, burly man. They both looked like they knew what battle was like, and he wondered where Link had met them. Link knew a lot of people outside the village now that Colin didn't. He supposed most of them were from Castle Town, which the boy had never been to.

He strolled into a secluded little area that nobody was in at the moment. The boy stopped to look at the owl statue, examining the carvings on it. He had no idea who had made it or why it was there, but he thought it was interesting, and vaguely remembered Link mentioning something about owl statues in one of his stories about his adventures. Maybe this was what he meant.

Colin heard his name being called, and he ran back to where the others were. As he emerged into the larger clearing, he saw everyone getting up and getting ready to go.

His mother saw him and waved him over, his sister balanced on her hip. "Come on, Colin. We're leaving now."

"Where are we going?"

"The Princess is taking us deeper into the woods, to the old Forest Temple."

Colin had heard Link talk about his adventures in the abandoned temple, and he didn't think he wanted to go there. But, if that's where the Princess said to go, he guessed that was where they were going.

* * *

Raskys moved quickly, and sometimes Link had a hard time keeping up with him. They stopped every few minutes to drink water, which Raskys insisted on. Link knew from his previous adventures in this desert that water was important, and didn't disagree with him.

They eventually had to climb over a sheer rock wall, which, with creative use of Link's ball and chain and clawshots, they accomplished in short order.

Link dropped to the ground on the other side, his sand-colored cloak falling around him, and looked down at the pyramid complex. It was certainly impressive, but it didn't seem like something Ganondorf would build; it wasn't grandiose or at all malevolent-looking. Perhaps he'd simply moved into an existing structure.

The central pyramid dominated the complex, but there were several other smaller pyramids around it. The remains of a once-grand temple lined the path to the massive structure's entrance, several pillars leaning over and some lying on the ground, half-buried by sand. It looked like no one had been here in a very long time.

The Hero shook his head and sighed amusedly.

Raskys stopped. "What is it?"

"I walked past this spot twice without realizing what was back here. It makes me wonder what else is hidden in Hyrule that even I've never seen."

Raskys grinned. "Ever been to the Yeti Village?"

"You mean Snowpeak Manor?"

"Nope. I'll tell you about it sometime."

The two men took a drink of water as they walked closer to the pyramid. They stopped by some toppled pillars.

"This looks like a good spot," Raskys said. They hunkered down behind the fallen pillars and waited watching the rock wall they had come over. It was the only way they saw for Nemo to get in here from the area of the desert they had been in.

After a while, Link felt a vibration on his back. It was his Gossip Stone.

"He's almost to the wall. Get ready," Erik said. Link nodded and closed his hand over the stone.

Link and Raskys pressed themselves up against the pillars, making sure they covered up completely with their sand-colored cloaks. To a casual observer, the two men now appeared to be a couple of sand drifts.

The Hero heard his shadow double breathing heavily and cursing a blue streak as he stumbled and fell over the rock wall. As Nemo got up, he used quite a few words Link had never heard before, and a few others he had very creatively. The Hero smirked despite the situation.

When he heard the footsteps and expletives drawing close enough, Link whispered "Now!" into his Gossip Stone and jumped to his feet, drawing the Master Sword.

Nemo turned to run back the way he came, only to see Arnak vault over the rock wall and land in front of him. Erik leaped at the same time, blocking the Antihero's escape to his left.

Midna levitated over the wall, coming to a stop to Nemo's right, the Twilight Blade pointed at him. "Hi there!" she said, mock-cheerfully.

The shadow being said an extremely offensive word. "What do you want?"

The Twilight Princess gestured at his hand with her sword. "Your Triforce, if you don't mind too much."

Nemo told her what she could do to herself with her sword in none too polite terms. Midna stepped forward and hit him across the face with the flat of the blade. Black blood dripped from a slight cut on his chin.

Her eyes flashed with anger as she grabbed Nemo by the front of his black tunic and held the Twilight Blade up to his neck. "Now, see, that was the wrong thing to say. I'm going to ask you nicely one more time to give me the Triforce of Shadow, and then you're going to lose a body part with every answer like that you give me."

Link frowned. He didn't approve of what she was doing, but Nemo did kind of deserve it. He had said something astonishingly insulting to her, and that was a guaranteed way to get Midna -or anybody, for that matter- extremely angry.

The Antihero shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure if I have it anymore. I don't know what happened to it." Nemo offered a weak smile under Midna's withering glare. "That was why I came here."

Midna relaxed her grip on the Antihero slightly, moving her sword away from his neck. This proved to be a mistake.

Almost faster than the eye could follow, Nemo threaded his leg between Midna's and tripped her, yanking the Twilight Blade from her grip as she fell. He swung the sword in a deadly arc, clearly intent on separating Midna's head from her shoulders.

The strike never landed. Moving faster than was possible for an ordinary person, Link blocked the swing with the Master Sword. There was a flash of light and a discharge of energy as the two swords connected.

The Hero and the Antihero stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, waiting to see who would make the first move.

Nemo stepped away first, twirling his stolen weapon and bringing it into a guard position. He left his shield on his back.

Link threw off his cloak and silently indicated to the others that this fight belonged to him.

They sprang at each other at almost the same instant, the sound of their swords clanging together echoing off the rocks.

* * *

Ivan and his men volunteered to explore the Forest Temple first and clear out any monsters that might still be within. Ashei and Rusl went with them.

This left the civilians to wait, something they had been doing a lot of in the past few days.

Telma was organizing foraging parties, to see if any edible plants grew nearby. The children from Ordon volunteered to help, mostly to keep their minds off the destruction of their village.

Ilia wandered by herself along the outskirts of the camp. She, like everyone else, had been amazed when Princess Zelda used her magic to get rid of the weird purple fog that had hung around one part of Faron Woods for the better part of the year. The refugees were camped in the cleared out area, for the time being.

The girl felt depressed. She had only gotten to see Link for a few short minutes before he was off on another adventure, as usual. Ilia knew that Link was the Hero now, and famous throughout all of Hyrule, but she missed having him around. The village hadn't been the same without him in it. He was still the popular topic of conversation among the adults, and discussions of his adventures pervaded conversations at any gathering of the villagers. But it wasn't the same.

Ilia sighed. She knew it wasn't Link's fault. He had responsibilities as the Hero, and those required him to be out of Ordon more often than in it. But, Link was the person nearest to her in age in the village, and he had been raised as a brother to her. As a result, she felt closer to him than anyone else in the village, save her father.

Behind her, Epona nickered. "You miss him, too, don't you girl?" Ilia stroked the chestnut mare's neck and patted her on the shoulder. "I wish he'd come back, too."

Ilia wondered who the people Link had left with were. She was especially suspicious of the woman in the black robe. She didn't like the way the woman had been looking at Link, the way she sometimes put her hand on his shoulder. She seemed far too affectionate with Link for someone Ilia had never met. That was another thing Ilia was irritated with him about. Who were all these people he knew that he had never told her about?

Epona stopped to nibble on a patch of grass. Ilia sat down on a rock next to the horse, content to let the mare take as long as she wanted.

_Well_, she supposed, _I'll just have to wait for him to tell me_.

_If he ever does_.

* * *

Nemo was amazed at the Hero's skill. He actually had to work to fight Link. He hadn't fought someone this close to his own level in a very long time.

He whirled his stolen sword into a parry of Link's strike, then a thrust, seeking a hole in the Hero's defense. He found none. Their swords flashed and sparked as the two dueled, the Hero's companions standing out of the way and watching as the Antihero and his double matched skills.

Nemo saw an animal ferocity burning in his opponent's eyes, a base hatred that simmered no deeper than the surface, and he could tell that Link was only using his rage as fuel for his exertions.

It struck the Antihero how similar he and his double were in that respect. He blocked Link's strike, and responded with a powerful two-handed swing. The Hero swung the Master Sword up to counter it.

Nemo hated the Master Sword. Mostly he hated that it was the special weapon of the Hero, while he had no such weapon to counter it. He saw this as the reason he had been defeated by the bearers of the Master Sword so many times. Ever since he had first encountered the Blade of Evil's Bane, Nemo had been searching for a weapon of his own to match its power.

The sword he held in his hands seemed to match the criteria. It thrummed with power, but he felt an almost intangible sense of struggling, as if the sword could somehow sense that it was not being used by its true master and was trying to slip from his grasp to return to her.

Link blocked an overhanded slash by Nemo on one of his gauntlets, and as the Antihero blocked Link's return strike, the Hero lashed out with his foot and hit Nemo in the knee. The Antihero used his tremendous strength to shove Link away for a few moments as he popped his kneecap back into place, snarling at the pain.

The Hero was relentless, and Nemo brought up his stolen sword to block a vicious series of blows, apparently designed to hammer the Antihero's sword out of his hand. Nemo twisted under the last strike to bring his fist against Link's jaw, grinning in satisfaction as Link's head snapped back and he faltered for a moment.

Nemo slashed at the Hero's back, under the point of his shield, but the Master Sword appeared between the Antihero's stolen weapon and Link, light flashing as the two powerful swords collided. Nemo started to step away to strike again, but the Master Sword twisted to the side, and a gauntleted fist suddenly filled Nemo's vision.

The two warriors paused for a moment, each having drawn blood, and looked at each other with new respect. Nemo was again impressed with Link's skills, and he could see the Hero was re-evaluating his opinion of his shadow double.

Link reached up to sweep the thin trail of blood on his chin away, and charged, turning to bring the Master Sword down in a powerful two-handed strike. Nemo blocked it, dropping to the sand to sweep Link's feet out from under him with a kick, but the Hero was too fast, leaping over the kick and slashing in midair to hit Nemo's side.

The Antihero rolled away, leaping to his feet. "All right, enough playing around," he said to Link, charging.

Link brought up his sword to defend himself, but Nemo increased speed, holding his stolen weapon in front of him. Their swords clanged together, and Nemo pushed Link back, momentarily knocking him off balance. Nemo took advantage and reached under Link's guard to grab the Hero by the front of his tunic. He hurled Link at one of the pillars of the ruined temple and turned to face the rest of the group. The entire fight had lasted maybe two minutes, and he could see their surprised expressions as he strode forward.

The Antihero felt his sword tremble in his hand as he advanced on the orange-haired witch who had twice humiliated him. He was intent on doing the same to her before he thrust this sword through her chest.

The laughable ninja sprang at Nemo, but he was in no mood to toy with the Sheikah at this time. He backhanded the so-called "warrior" into one of the fallen stone pillars with all his considerable strength.

Next, he felt a pair of heavily muscled arms engulf him in a deadly hug. Nemo threw his head back into the dark-haired giant's face, and smiled when he heard the crack of breaking bone. The grip relaxed and Nemo drove his elbow into the giant's stomach, hooking his foot behind an ankle and tripping the big man to ensure that he wouldn't bother the Antihero for a few moments. Nemo pressed forward, getting angrier by the second. He was going to have his revenge on the woman, and nothing was going to stop him.

He felt an arrow hit him in the back and the point emerge from his chest. Nemo simply reached up with his free hand and snapped the point off, not bothering to take the rest of the arrow out of him.

The Antihero turned around just long enough to see another man in a sand-colored cloak holding a bow in his hands and a surprised expression on his face, and in the same motion, Nemo hurled the arrowhead like a dagger into the man's chest. The man's tanned features contorted with pain and shock as he collapsed backward, groaning.

With a grim smile, Nemo returned to his objective. The witch was still lying on the ground, but she had brought her hands together, a ball of magic energy forming between them.

He grinned wickedly, displaying his pointed black teeth as he gestured at her with his sword. "Do you really think that's going to do anything to me?"

She returned his grin, a hint of desperation in her eyes. "Here's hoping." She made a pushing motion with her hands, and the ball of magic flew at him.

Nemo stiffened as the magic coursed through him. He relaxed a moment later. "Ooh, tickles!" His words became a snarl. "Try again!"

She tried to scramble to her feet, but he kicked her under the chin and sent the witch sprawling. Nemo leaped over to where she landed, cackling, and stood over her with his new sword placed between her eyes. "Talk! Start with your name!" he snarled, mimicking words said to him just a short while ago.

"You're insane!" was her reply. He gleefully noted a stream of silver-blue making its way down her chin from the corner of her mouth.

He shrugged, grinning at his victory. "Probably. Why are you and your pitiful band of chums following me, other than to take what I have rightfully claimed?"

Hearing a footstep behind him, Nemo had just begun to turn when an intense lance of fiery pain swept up his arm as it was suddenly severed just above the elbow. He felt another flash of pain as the witch kicked him between the legs and he fell backwards, flailing with his remaining hand.

His double, Link, stood above him, the Master Sword in his hand. Nemo could see black blood steaming on the blade as Link helped the witch to her feet.

The Antihero watched as the sorceress plucked the sword from his severed hand and kicked the disconnected limb away. He could see the angry flash in her eyes as she advanced on him, their positions now reversed.

Nemo decided that this was the time to leave. Ignoring the pain, he hauled himself to his feet and sprinted to where his arm lay on the ground.

Rolling to dodge the swings of his two remaining opponents, he grabbed his severed arm with his good hand and jammed it onto the stump. He gritted his teeth and hissed in pain as the flesh and bone reconnected, reminding himself that regenerating eyes was still more painful.

The Antihero took advantage of his opponents' surprise to run for the entrance of the pyramid. Nemo jammed his fingers under the door, -bearing most of the weight on his good hand- and heaved upwards, ignoring the protestations of his still-healing arm.

With the orange-haired sorceress and the Hero in hot pursuit, Nemo fled into the depths of the pyramid.

* * *

"He'd better hope I don't catch him!" Midna said to Link as they sprinted after Nemo. "He'll think you cutting off his arm felt good compared to what I'm going to do to him!"

Link nodded quickly, ignoring the pain in his back from where he had hit the pillar when Nemo had thrown him. Nemo's strength had surprised him, and he was still trying to catch his breath. The battle had made Link angry, too. _Nothing_ beat him that quickly. Not even Ganondorf had been able to smash his way past Link's defenses like that.

The Hero took quick glances at his surroundings as they sprinted down a corridor, Nemo barely visible in the torchlight that lit this place. The walls were stone, decorated with what he thought were Zuna patterns and figures. He couldn't be sure, because Link didn't know a whole lot about the cultures of the western desert. They could be Gerudo markings, since this place had supposedly been inhabited by Ganon at some point.

It mostly reminded him of the Arbiter's Grounds, and he had no fond memories of that place.

Nemo opened another stone door, seemingly at random, and ducked through it, trying to close it before they arrived. Link caught the door and held it up with his Triforce-enhanced strength as Midna swiped at Nemo. They heard his footsteps draw away with unnatural speed.

He rolled through and let the door crash back down; he'd worry about how to get out of here after they caught the Antihero.

The two of them stopped at a place where the corridor forked, looking down the three passages for a few precious seconds, trying to catch a glimpse of their quarry.

"Which way did he go?" Midna said, waving the softly glowing Twilight Blade as she looked into each of the three branches.

"Too bad there's only two of us," said Link, hoping Nemo wasn't getting into anything he could surprise them with.

They stood there for a few moments, knowing that Nemo was getting away, but if they took the wrong passage, he would most likely find some magical object Ganondorf had left behind and make their lives difficult with it.

Midna paced back and forth, her sword waving absently. "We have to pick one-" She stopped suddenly. "Hey, did you see that?" She moved the Twilight Blade toward the far left passage again.

This time, Link did see. The Twilight Blade's muted glow increased noticeably as Midna moved a little ways into the corridor. He looked down at his own weapon and was surprised to see it glowing brighter than usual, also.

They agreed by brief glance, and took off running again.

* * *

Arnak tenderly pressed his fingers against his broken nose. It still hurt, but it would heal. Dried blood matted his beard, and was already beginning to flake in the desert heat. He absently scratched at his upper lip as he looked over at where Erik was gingerly trying to remove the arrowhead from Raskys, the other man still unconscious.

Thankfully, the Antihero's throw had missed any vital organs, though Raskys wouldn't be doing anything strenuous for a while, if he recovered.

Arnak was glad Raskys hadn't been killed. He'd lost enough men over the months to various causes, and he didn't want to lose one of his best archers, not to mention one of the few men under his command that he'd come to call his friend.

Raskys was not part of the original group that had assembled in the ruins of Ivan's destroyed village. They'd met the ranger -his preferred title- in the ruins of another Oocca-destroyed city. Like Arnak's group, he'd seen the smoke and come to investigate.

After they searched the city together, he'd asked to join the group full-time, as he had, quote, "not much else to do." He demonstrated his archery skills when a group of the flying creatures came back to the ruined city and he picked them all off with one strategic bomb arrow.

Raskys was also very skilled with a sword, as he'd proved on an occasion when they'd been attacked by some desperate mercenaries on the road. Raskys had held off five warriors at once and beaten them all.

His good-humored friend had also proved that he could drink every man in the group except Arnak under the table, and he was unnaturally proficient at gambling, so much so that they'd been asked to not return to quite a few taverns on the eastern side of this continent.

Arnak hoped that Raskys would pull through. He'd lost enough people he cared about in his life.

* * *

Link skidded to a stop and Midna almost ran into him. He'd just seen Nemo do something he thought was impossible: walk across thin air.

They had followed the Antihero through the bowels of the pyramid to this cavern, never quite catching up to him as he fled. Link thought that they must surely be deep underground by now. He could see no bridge, but he'd seen Nemo run across the chasm without any visible means of support.

"Why are you standing there all stupefied? Break out those Icky-whatever wings Bo gave you and let's go!" Midna took off and had levitated a third of the way across before Link reached behind his shield and took out the package Bo had given him, still unopened.

The Hero looked at the far wall of the cavern dubiously. He'd hoped to get a chance to try out the Icarus Wings before he actually needed them, but he guessed he'd just have to figure them out quickly. He peered over the edge at the bottom of the chasm. It was visible, but it was a long way down.

He opened the cloth package and discovered that the Icarus Wings were a pair of shoulder pads, with intricate scrollwork of wind designs etched into them. There was nothing that looked like wings. Maybe they were a magical device.

Link pulled the shoulder pads on, cinching them down and attaching them to each other with the straps provided, tucking them under the baldric of his sword. He checked the straps and buckles again, dearly hoping that this would work.

He took a few steps back, and, summoning a reserve of courage, ran forward and jumped as high and as far as he could, concentrating on not falling.

Link found that the Icarus Wings were indeed a magical device, and as soon as his entire body had left the ground, shimmering energy-feather wings sprouted from the shoulder pads and pushed down, lifting him into the air. After one nerve-wracking falter in which he dropped a few feet, Link realized that controlling the Icarus Wings was fairly easy, and he swooped over the chasm, keeping his eyes on the far end.

Flying quickly became effortless to Link, as he found that if he thought about moving in a certain direction, the Icarus Wings carried him there. The Hero was airborne all of a minute and a half, but he learned the basics of using the Wings in that time, and found himself confident about using them again. He wished now that Bo given him the Icarus Wings sooner, as they would have been useful at quite a few places in his previous journey.

As he flew, Link looked down and saw the secret of how Nemo had managed his amazing feat. There was a narrow, cunningly painted bridge across the chasm. From the far end, the optical illusion would make it seem as if there was nothing there at all. He shook his head in amazement as he thought about landing and the Wings slowed down.

Midna stood next to him as he landed, impatience and wonder fighting for control of her facial expression. She indicated the direction Nemo had gone with a wave of her sword, and the two ran down the corridor.

They emerged from the passage into a familiar-seeming room. It was roughly octagonal in shape, with high walls ending in a domed roof and a pedestal in the center. Nemo stood at the pedestal, facing them. His hands rested on the crossguard of a sword that was set into the pedestal.

"See anything familiar?" he said with a self-satisfied grin. He was obviously about to pull out the sword, and was waiting for them to be there to see it.

Link stepped closer for a better look at the sword. It was another twin of the Master Sword, like the Twilight Blade, but considerably more evil-looking. Both hilt and blade were black as obsidian, and the gem set into the hilt was the bright red of freshly spilled blood. The symbol etched into the blade was again not a Triforce, but a strange-looking hieroglyph.

Nemo laughed, an unpleasant sound. "You know, this wasn't what I came here to find, but I think I'll take it anyway." His grin became wider as he pulled up on the sword, and it started to come free of the pedestal.

Link ran forward to try and stop his twisted double, but he knew it was too late. There was a bright flash of red light, and a tremendous sound, like thunder but somehow distorted.

When his vision cleared, the Hero saw Nemo holding the sword triumphantly high, much like Link had done when he took possession of the Master Sword. It was odd to see that pose mirrored by this obscene creature.

"What… What POWER!!" Nemo screamed, holding onto the sword with both hands. A shockwave of energy blasted out from the Antihero as the power housed within the twisted, evil version of the Master Sword acknowledged Nemo as its master. It knocked both Link and Midna to the ground.

Nemo held the sword out in front of him, blade pointing at Midna. The glow from his red eyes seemed to increase tenfold and he let out an eerie, echoing shriek as he held out his right hand to her, palm upwards. He clenched his fingers inwards, and four objects appeared above her head, floating in a slow circle. Link recognized them as the Fused Shadows.

Midna seemed powerless and unable to move as the Fused Shadows spun faster and faster, slowly drawing closer to the Antihero.

Link tried to get up, but his limbs felt like they were made of stone. He could do nothing but watch as the Fused Shadows started spinning in spirals around the Antihero as the creature again held the evil-looking sword aloft.

The ancient magical fragments of Midna's ancestors revolved around Nemo like planets around a malevolent sun, spinning at dizzying speed. They heard the Antihero's awful laughter again, made worse by the fact that it sounded maliciously happy.

The Fused Shadows stopped, and seemed to shrink into the Antihero. Nemo slumped for a moment, seeming to be drained, but he swelled up again, accompanied by an almost electrical tingling in the air.

He opened his dreadful red eyes, now glowing like two blood-drenched lighthouses, and spread his arms, holding his evil sword blade-upwards in his left hand.

A shockwave, more powerful than any before it, radiated out of the Antihero, and Link and Midna's world went black.

* * *

Author's Note: I've made a forum called "Ask the Author" that you can get to by clicking on the "My Forums" link in my profile. It's free for anyone to use, just please obey the rules. I've made a topic about this story that you can ask me questions in, and I will post the answers for everyone to read. Keep reviewing, please! I want to make this story the best I can. (Chapter orginally posted 9/10/07, revised and expanded 4/3/08) The biggest change I made to this chapter was adding more to Link and Nemo's first duel, since what was in there originally hardly lived up to such an epic confrontation. This chapter also marks the end of the major revisions I was planning on giving the story, so unless otherwise noted, the story appears as I originally posted it from here on out. For those of you who are reading this for the first time, the story gets more complex from here, and really picks up as more of the main plot is revealed. Enjoy!


	9. The Mercenary King

Nine

Polished black boots clicked rhythmically against a polished marble floor. The man made no sound, other than the metronome-like precision of his footsteps as he strode toward the throne at the end of the hall.

The man was tall, with pale skin and thick snow-white hair that belied his age. He was not an old man, but he was obviously not young, either. Few cared to examine him closely, though, for his violet gaze seemed to be able to pierce through skin and bone and thought. Only someone with great self-confidence and strength of will could long meet his eyes without flinching.

He wore a tunic and pants in muted tones, grey and black and dark blue. His clothes were of fine quality, but not ornate or flashy. He was armed only with a sword, but it was a magnificent weapon, with a gleaming silver and black hilt, and a transparent gray gem set into the pommel.

A long and wide black cloak hung from his shoulders, clasped at the neck with a silver falcon's head pin. A swooping falcon was the man's coat of arms, and the predatory bird was represented on each item of his clothing somewhere.

The cloak flared out behind him like an avenging angel's wings, pulled back by the length and speed of his stride. The news he bore to his current employer was not good news, and he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

He did not drop to one knee as he stopped in front of the throne, like most of his employer's servants did. He did not fear the man, like they did, but he did bow his head quickly in a curt nod as a grudging sign of respect.

The white-haired man's employer sat stiffly in his throne, and moved nothing but his mouth as he spoke. "You have something to tell me, Viserys?"

Viserys nodded. "I do, my lord." He hated calling his employer 'my lord', as he felt no allegiance to the man beyond the terms of his contract. But, it was not time to upset Lord Tywin, as the news he bore was upsetting enough.

"The Oocca have destroyed two more of your cities, my lord. The ships that did the deed have disappeared."

The grim ruler scowled at Viserys, as if it was somehow the white-haired man's fault. "What am I paying you for, Viserys? To sit on the ground and watch as the Oocca spread across my domain like a cloud of locusts? Or am I spending what little is left in my treasury in payment for you to do something about it?"

"My warriors and I were too far away from the attacked cities, my lord. We were expecting them to hit Needle Peak and Seamount instead. If you would let me build more airships and bases, I could defend your country more effectively."

Viserys was the leader of a vast mercenary force, more a mobile nation than an army. He was respected as a sharp-witted military mind throughout a significant portion of the world, and the services of "The Mercenary King" and his followers were highly sought after. Privately, Viserys' ultimate plan was to find a place to settle down and build a permanent home for his people, once he obtained enough money to fund the construction. The mercenary phase of his life was strictly temporary.

The whiskers on his cheeks bristled out as Tywin's face sunk itself deeper into the scowl lines on the ruler's face. "My budget is set. I cannot spare any more money than I am already paying you for your operation." The ruler stood and strode down the stairs of his throne until he was only a few feet away from Viserys, glaring balefully down at The Mercenary King. "If you continue with your shameful current rate of failure, I shall have to discontinue your services."

Viserys kept himself from sneering at Lord Tywin. Few dared to talk to him with that kind of arrogant disrespect. "I hardly think that's necessary, my lord. My men and I have proven most effective in each of our battles with the Oocca invaders."

"You have failed more cities than you have saved, Viserys. I should dismiss you now and mount your head on my city wall for so gross a disappointment to me."

That crossed the line. "May I remind you that I am not one of your subjects, Lord Tywin? Such insulting behavior will result in my pulling out of your country and leaving you to the Oocca. Which is more important to you, your gold or your people?"

Tywin's demeanor changed instantly. He knew that Viserys' nation-for-hire was his only defense against the flying invaders, and that he would be helpless without them. "Of course, Admiral. I shall see if I can squeeze a bit more out of the budget for you. You are dismissed."

Viserys had already started for the door.

* * *

Arnak dragged himself back into consciousness, part of him fighting the whole way. He forced his eyes open and unsteadily climbed to his feet, still a little dizzy from whatever had knocked him unconscious.

Link and Midna were nowhere in sight, presumably still inside the pyramid, chasing Nemo the Antihero. Nearby, Erik and Raskys were lying still on the ground, their breathing the only sign that they were still alive.

The bearer of the Triforce of Power stumbled over to his comrades, checking his roguish friend first to make sure he wasn't bleeding too heavily. He poked his fingers through the widened hole in Raskys' tunic, examining his wound.

To Arnak's surprise, there was only a slight scar where Nemo had hurled an arrowhead into the ranger. The big man snorted. The Sheikah warrior must have used some kind of magic to accelerate the healing of his friend. He reminded himself to thank Erik when he awoke.

What had knocked them all out, anyway?

The last thing Arnak remembered was the sound of some kind of detonation, followed by… nothing. Had a bomb been dropped on the pyramid complex?

He looked around, but didn't see any destruction that looked recent. Some kind of powerful magic attack, maybe? From Erik's description of the creature, the Antihero didn't have any magic powers, so unless the Sheikah was wrong, the source of the blast probably wasn't Nemo.

Midna was the only other person Arnak thought was capable of such a thing, but he'd never seen her do anything like this before. Perhaps some powerful spell had gotten out of hand, or something.

Arnak held a hand to his aching head as he shuffled through the sand to where Erik sprawled on the ground. He held his thick fingers to the man's neck, standing up when he felt a steady pulse. Erik had suffered no discernible injuries, so Arnak moved on, looking for any clues as to what had happened.

There was nothing, just the sand and the stone and the still desert air.

* * *

Ivan and his men found the Forest Temple to be completely empty of any monsters, but they encountered quite a few monkeys. Ivan found them to be annoying, but not at all menacing, so he and his men left them alone.

The same, unfortunately, could not be said of the monkeys. They chattered and jabbered constantly, poking and prodding the men, their nimble fingers occasionally attempting to steal arrows or knives.

More than one of the men gritted his teeth and kept himself from striking the hairy nuisances with his weapon. They did slap they monkeys' hands away whenever they got too inquisitive, however. But, this didn't seem to deter the creatures much.

Ivan tasked Eddard and Benjen, who had rejoined the group, with toppling a few pillars in the entryway, making a ramp up to the rest of the temple for the refugees. Ashei and Rusl volunteered to stay behind and help them. Theomer, since he had been wounded in the Ordon battle, had been ordered to stay behind with the main group of refugees, against his protestations that he was fine.

Ivan and Kraytos, his squad's medic, further explored the temple, noting that almost all of the treasure chests were empty, and most of the booby traps and obstacles had been disabled. Some of the refugees had told Ivan and his men about Link the Hero, and how he had single-handedly cleared out several old, abandoned, monster-filled ruins like this one. It was universally accepted by everyone Ivan had talked to that Link was the greatest living warrior in Hyrule, and most definitely deserved the mantle of Hero.

Ivan wondered what they thought of Arnak, who was another example of a one-man army. The commander of their little group routinely scored the most kills in all of their battles, with both bow and sword. He'd had the opportunity to talk with Arnak about what had happened in Castle Town, and had been amazed, but not surprised, that the big man had taken down five Darknuts, thirty-two Bulblins, and eight flying creatures by himself, in the span of only a few hours.

The grizzled warrior reminded himself that the flying creatures were called Oocca. Hardly a fear-inspiring name. But, as Arnak had told him, until a short time ago, they hadn't been a fierce people. Their new ruler was responsible for the destruction their airborne cities had been wreaking all over the world.

The biggest frustration of their small force was that they were forced to stay on the ground. They'd found ways to damage the flying fortresses from the ground, but to do the kind of damage they all wanted, they were going to have to find a way to get into the air and attack the fortresses from the top, where their armor was lightest. The problem was, none of them had figured out how yet.

Ivan turned to swat at a monkey that was pulling on his cloak. He stayed his hand when he realized that the thing was pointing at one of the doors and trying to pull him towards it. The monkey had some sort of bow on its head; how it had gotten there, Ivan couldn't guess.

He again wished his commander was here. Arnak had discovered that he could talk to just about any animal in his bear form, which they had used to their advantage in the past. The only problem with Arnak's transformation ability was that sometimes the big man had a hard time controlling it, and they had narrowly escaped several cities who had chased them out for being sorcerers. This was somewhat ironic, as pointed out by Raskys once, since none of them besides Arnak could do anything remotely magical. The countries to the east of Hyrule were very strict and suspicious about anything unusual, and most of Arnak's Triforce powers definitely qualified.

One reason they had decided to come to Hyrule was that they had heard the Hylians were generally a tolerant and easygoing people. But, rumors were not always true, and that was one reason Arnak had insisted on going to Castle Town by himself. In case he got in trouble, he didn't want any of the men to be implicated with him.

Ivan and Kraytos exchanged glances, silently agreeing to follow the primate in case it proved useful. They opened whatever door it stopped in front of, following the monkey through all the twists and turns in the Forest Temple until it stopped in front of one door and jumped up and down, screeching insistently.

They went inside to find a bright, circular room with a single pillar in its center as the only remarkable feature. The monkey jumped on top of the pillar and hooted at them, waving its hands.

Ivan dropped down to the floor of the room and walked over to the column. The monkey leaped off and slammed itself into the pillar, causing it to wobble. Kraytos placed his boot against the carved wooden pole and shoved, watching as it weaved around in its base unsteadily.

Ivan turned to the medic. "This thing isn't in there too steady, is it? You think we can pull it out?"

Kraytos gestured at the pillar. "Only one way to find out."

Ivan took out his weapon of choice, a double-bladed battleaxe, and took a powerful swing at the base of the pillar. The razor-sharp blade pierced deep into the wood, about a third of the way through. Two more swings, and the wood was splintering, leaning drunkenly over at a severe angle. Ivan and Kraytos combined their strength and shoved the pillar over.

The monkey jumped excitedly about the room, chattering happily as the pillar toppled to the floor.

The two men pried what was left of the pillar out of the ground, peering into the hole it left behind. There was a cavern, the floor of which was barely visible in the dim light. One after the other, Kraytos and Ivan lowered themselves into the hole, dropping only a short distance to the ground. Surprisingly, the monkey followed them.

They broke out their lanterns and walked along the passage for a few yards, seeing a dull, yellow light off in the distance. As they drew closer, the need for the lanterns lessened, and they eventually put them away altogether.

They saw blue and green in a hole up ahead, and the two made for it. They crawled out of the hole, followed by the monkey, and emerged in a picturesque forest. The sun was shining brightly through the trees, and they could hear birds chirping. It had a general sense of peacefulness, like nothing bad ever happened here.

Even the monkey was silent for once.

Kraytos was the first to break the silence. "Hey, Ivan, don't you think we should tell the others what we found?"

"You're right. Break out your Communication Stone and tell Eddard and Benjen where we are." He turned back to the forest, but thought of something and turned back to Kraytos. "And when you're done, tell Jorrek how to get to where the refugees are. We may need his group if the Oocca track us here. Tell him to hurry, too."

Kraytos removed a multifaceted gem from his pocket. Someone from Hyrule would have identified the object as a Gossip Stone, but the magical rocks were found all over the world and were known by many names. The medic took a few steps away to make the calls.

Ivan looked at the forest again, breathing deeply. The air was fresh and clean, with a pleasant pine fragrance. It reminded Ivan of the area around his home village.

He scowled. His village _had_ been like this, before the Oocca and their armies had destroyed it. But, he decided not to think about that right now.

He walked a few steps into the forest, making sure that Kraytos could still see him, and stood there, enjoying the peaceful moment while it lasted. He knew he would have to go back to being Ivan the hard-bitten warrior soon enough, but he tried to appreciate nature whenever he could, if only for a few minutes at a time.

Ivan heard an odd sound, like children's laughter. He looked around, wondering if some of the kids had followed them without him knowing it, somehow. But he saw nothing, just Kraytos and the monkey.

The monkey was acting a little strange, though. It was whirling around in circles, as if it was looking for something, as well. He heard the laughter again, and both he and the monkey looked in the same direction.

This time, Ivan caught a glance of green that was moving. He strained his eyes in that direction, but he saw nothing. He shook his head, some of his graying hair falling in his eyes, and looked again. He saw another moving patch of green, and something that was definitely a humanoid foot.

He turned back to Kraytos and waved sharply. The medic drew his sword and whispered a final few words into his Communication Stone before he put it away. He crouched low, spreading out his green cloak to break up his outline.

Ivan did the same, falling into the routine of woodland hunting. He wore a blue cloak specifically because it was a noticeable color in woods. He acted as the decoy, something for the adversary to focus on while the other squad members snuck up on it or them. It was sometimes a dangerous job, but Ivan was more than qualified.

Kraytos disappeared into the trees while Ivan moved slowly toward the source of the noise. He kept his axe drawn, but underneath his cloak to keep the sun from reflecting off the blade. Ivan stalked closer, hearing fallen leaves rustling from whoever it was moving around.

He felt a gentle tap on his shoulder and whirled, bringing up his axe. Ivan stayed his hand as he saw what it was.

It was a small boy, probably about eight or nine, dressed in a green tunic and short pants with a hat of the same color on his head. There was something familiar about the shape of the hat, but Ivan couldn't place it at the moment. A fairy fluttered about the child's head, landing on his shoulder occasionally.

"Hello," the boy said cheerfully. He seemed utterly without fear, even at the sight of Ivan's axe.

Ivan put away his weapon and dropped to one knee, about eye level with the child. "Hello there. What's your name?"

"Remi. Who's your friend?" The child pointed behind him to Kraytos, who was emerging from behind a tree.

The medic sheathed his short sword and drew back his hood, exposing his blond hair to the forest sunlight. "My name's Kraytos," he said.

The little boy smiled in a friendly way. "Hey, you have the same color hair I do. Your monkey friend sure is cute."

Ivan had forgotten all about the monkey. It chattered something at the child, and the little boy nodded as if he understood what the animal was saying.

Remi turned back to Ivan. "You sure have a lot of friends. I'll have to ask the Deku Tree, but I'm sure that it's okay if you all come here. The flying men can't find this place, so you'll be fine here."

Kraytos had a puzzled look on his face. "What is this place? And what is the Deku Tree?"

Remi giggled. "Not what. Who. Come on, we'll go meet him and he can tell you all about the forest." He scampered off, laughing.

The two men looked at each other and shrugged. There really wasn't any choice but to follow the child.

* * *

Midna's head felt like a Goron had sat on it. As she started to recover her senses, she realized that her whole body felt terrible. And there was something else. Something was missing, something that had always been there before, but wasn't now.

She slowly opened her eyes and tried to sit up, only to find that she was restrained. She looked down to see that she was tied to some sort of table, with thick leather straps binding her wrists and ankles to the rough stone surface. She was also clad only in her undergarments, -her skintight top and skirt- with her robe and the Twilight Blade nowhere in sight.

_I don't even want to think about what this table is for_, she thought to herself.

The Twilight Princess tried to summon up a bit of magic to sever her bonds, but nothing happened. Puzzled, she tried again, but still nothing. She closed her eyes and concentrated, and found no trace of magical ability anywhere within her.

For the first time in a long time, Midna felt panic start to cloud her senses. She had always been able to use magic, all her life, and to find herself unable to produce even the tiniest spark was extremely unsettling.

_Get ahold of yourself, Midna. It's not the end of the world. All you have to do is get out of the room for now. Then you can find a way to get your powers back. _

She looked around the room, not recognizing it, but wanting to leave immediately. It was some kind of torture room, with all kinds of wicked-looking devices arranged about it, skeletons still ensnared in some of them. It was dimly lit, and she couldn't see the door. Midna scanned the chamber, but didn't see Link anywhere. She supposed that he was being held elsewhere.

She dropped her head back down onto the table. The last thing she remembered was Nemo drawing some kind of evil Master Sword out of a pedestal in a room shaped like the one where she had gotten the Twilight Blade, itself a twin of the room in which Link had obtained the Master Sword. The Antihero had stolen the Fused Shadows from her somehow, and then there was nothing after that. What did it mean?

This was the second copy of the Master Sword she had seen, and she had even less of an explanation for this one than she did for her own sword.

Midna frowned. She still couldn't believe her father had never said anything to her about the Twilight Blade. Though, from what Erik had told her, this hadn't been the only secret the King of Twilight had been keeping from his only child.

Erik was right, though. Her father didn't seem like the kind of man to keep his child in the dark. He had always answered any question she asked him truthfully, and from the time she was little, he had let her sit in on court sessions so she could learn how to rule the Twilight Realm when he was gone.

_But,_ she thought wryly, _I guess I never asked him about powerful swords or Sheikah or other portals to the Light World._

Midna's father had died suddenly about a year ago, allowing Zant to unexpectedly announce that the King had named _him_ and not the King's daughter as the heir to the throne. He even produced a document, supposedly written by the King some time before his death. Midna, of course, had not been allowed to look at it before he cursed her and banished her from the Twilight Realm, claiming to the rest of the Twili that she had tried to kill him in a jealous rage.

Zant was a persuasive speaker, and soon convinced most of the Twili that he was their rightful ruler. Midna knew that most of the time it had probably been Ganondorf talking and not her cousin Zant, who had always been a little strange. But, never in all the time she had known him had he behaved as oddly as he did before and during her and Link's final battle with him. She knew that it was trying to use the Triforce of Shadow that had driven him insane, probably combined with Ganondorf's departure to the Light World.

Midna's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door to the chamber slowly creaking open, and stealthy footsteps entering. She heard a sort of hiss, like heavy fabric dragging over stone. She closed her eyes, but moved her head to the side the intruder was approaching from, leaving her right eye open just a crack.

A curious-looking man gradually came into view, walking over to her. He was tall, and clad in a brown robe with a dark gray cloak over it. Midna could see the tips of his black boots poking out from underneath his robe as he walked. His hair had once been black, but was now mostly gray and white, with streaks of the original color running through his hair and beard. He wore both long, his hair falling past his shoulders and his beard reaching most of the way down his chest. She could see an intricately engraved sword hanging on the man's belt, but that was the only weapon immediately obvious to her.

He stopped at the table she was strapped to and leaned in close to her, his face only a few inches from hers. She could see his bushy eyebrows and wrinkles, and could smell apples on his breath.

He touched her arm with a surprisingly soft hand. "Are you awake?" His voice was deep, but kind, with an unfamiliar accent, but she felt like she knew him from somewhere.

She opened her eyes all the way. "Yes. Who are you and what do you want?"

He stood back up. "I am Majacen. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss…" His dark green eyes seemed vibrant, and held an inquisitive look as he awaited her answer.

"Midna. Now what do you want?" She knew from what Erik had told her that Nemo had limited shapeshifting abilities, and she didn't know if this might be the Antihero in disguise. She didn't think so, but it couldn't hurt to be careful.

"Are you a prisoner here, Midna?" he asked, a concerned expression on his face.

She rolled her eyes. "No, I just like hanging out in torture chambers. It's fun; you should try it sometime."

Majacen frowned. "Well, there's no need to be rude about it. I was going to let you go."

"Well, hurry up and do it, then. This isn't exactly comfortable, you know." She waved the fingers of one restrained hand impatiently at him.

Majacen opened the leather straps and helped her off the table. He reached under his cloak and pulled out a rectangular object. "Does this belong to you?" he said, holding it out to her. "I found it in the other room. I thought the patterns and the fabric were interesting, so I took it with me."

Midna took the bundle from him and opened it. It was her robe, headdress and shoes. "Thank you," she said, starting to put them on. She put the headdress in a pocket of the robe, leaving her hair loose. She didn't have time to put the complicated thing on right now, seeing as how she had to find Link and get out of here.

"Have you seen a young man around, dark blond hair, blue eyes?" she asked the old man. "Probably wearing a green tunic and a funny-looking hat?"

Majacen shook his head. "I'm afraid I haven't. You're the first living person I've seen in here so far, if you don't count that ghastly creature that attacked me earlier."

Her eyes narrowed. "What kind of creature?"

The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully for a moment before answering. "It was an odd-looking thing. It was wrapped in bandages and rags, and had a sword that it swung at me after letting out the most disturbing shriek."

"Yeah, I know what you're talking about," Midna replied. "I've run into a few of those here and there. Did you beat it?"

Majacen chuckled merrily. "Young lady, I do not think I would be here if I had not."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Midna said.

The old man straightened. "I came here to research the Zuna and find any magical objects they might have left behind, for study."

Midna smirked. "I know a guy named Shad that you'd probably get along with pretty well. Well, let's get going. We have to find Link."

"Is that the young man you described earlier?" Majacen asked, hooking his thumbs in his belt.

She nodded. "Yes. Now, we have to be quiet, because there's a really unpleasant character sneaking around these ruins, too. He's the one who put me up on that table, probably. Let's go before he comes back for me."

Majacen gestured toward the door. "Lead the way, Midna."

* * *

Midna and Majacen moved through the passageways and tunnels of the pyramid, looking for the Hero. They weren't even really sure if he was still here, since they hadn't seen or heard anyone else in the two hours they'd been searching. The Twilight Princess was surprised they hadn't been attacked by Nemo yet. With all the power he had stolen from her, she was sure he could sense them moving about.

What was the deal with that sword he had, anyway? Why was it so powerful? And how did it get here, in the middle of the Gerudo Desert? She wondered if it was already here, or if it was another of Ganondorf's creations. She wouldn't put it past him to try and make a copy of the Master Sword for himself, seeing as how he'd been defeated by it before. From what she knew of him, Ganondorf was always looking for ways around the restrictions placed on him by the gods.

Since Majacen was the only one who was armed, he was in the lead, his sword drawn. Midna felt disoriented and unsure without her magic, and she hoped to find some way to get it back soon. It felt like one of her limbs was missing.

The old man held up his hand as he stopped by a stone door. He put his ear against it, waving her over to do the same.

She heard wild, delirious laughter, punctuated by grunts of pain and exertion. Both sounded like Link's voice, so she knew both the Hero and his twisted double were inside.

Majacen eased his fingers under the door and pulled it up about two inches, placing a fragment of stone under it to prop it open. He leaned over and placed his eye against the crack, peering inside.

Midna was almost afraid to look, but she did anyway.

Inside, she could see Nemo, his new, evil sword in his hand, gesturing wildly with it. Link, his sword and shield missing from his back, was flying through the air in time with how Nemo moved his sword, slamming repeatedly into the walls and ceiling of the chamber they were in. Every time he hit the stone, she felt as if it were her in there, getting mercilessly beaten. She had to restrain herself from flinging open the door and rushing inside, powerful evil creature or not.

Pressing her eye closer against the door, Midna tried to get a better look at the room. She saw the Twilight Blade and Master Sword stacked under Link's Hylian Shield, a few feet away from where Nemo was standing. He still hadn't registered Majacen and her, it seemed. It appeared that he was absorbed in tormenting Link.

In reality, Nemo was completely aware that Midna and Majacen were crouched at the door, but he didn't care. With all the power that his new sword and the Fused Shadows gave him, he felt that neither of them were of any threat, though he sensed that the old man might be able to give him some trouble, if he wanted to. He was no ordinary mortal, that one.

Midna decided that it was time to act. She couldn't just leave Link like this, even if Nemo did have all of her considerable powers. She grabbed the door and heaved it open, charging inside.

Nemo turned around and casually waved in her direction. It felt like a giant, invisible hand picked her up and threw her across the room. She landed a few yards away from where Link had dropped to the ground, as Nemo turned to where Majacen stood in the doorway.

The old man stood at the entrance to the room with his sword in hand, unconcerned at the display of Nemo's power. He held his weapon at his side, waiting patiently, but for what Midna didn't know.

Nemo sneered at Majacen and made a backhanded slice through the air, a red stream of power flying out of his sword at the old man.

Majacen held his ornately engraved sword out in front of him, and just as the red wave reached him, there was a flash of bright light. When it cleared, the old man stood there unharmed.

Surprised though she was, Midna knew that Nemo would be distracted with the mysterious old man for a few moments, and took advantage of his preoccupation to dash for the stacked weapons.

Nemo was still hurling bolts of energy at Majacen, and snarling when the old man blocked every one. The flashes of light danced around the chamber like bursts of lightning, making Midna have to shield her eyes to still be able to see where she was going.

She stopped at where the Master Sword and Twilight Blade lay on the ground, still in their scabbards. She scooped them up, slinging Link's Hylian Shield over her shoulder and staying low as she ran to Link. He groaned as he sat up, holding his hand to his side. Midna extended a hand to him, and he took it as she pulled him up. He smiled at her as she handed him his sword and shield, and she returned the grin.

Midna could see that Link was hurting, but was pushing the pain aside and readying himself for battle once again. She hoped he wouldn't have to fight Nemo right now. He'd been through a lot the past couple of days, and even Link had his limits. She feared that he was at or past them now.

They watched Nemo yell and curse and jump about, firing red energy out of his sword with frenzied speed. It seemed that something was keeping him from coming any closer than he was to Majacen, causing the Antihero great frustration. The old man continued to deflect every single bolt, with a white flash of light every time one connected with his sword.

Midna and Link finished buckling on their weapons and made their way to the round, otherwise empty chamber's entrance. Neither of them wanted to engage the Antihero at this time, and both were tired and sore, especially Link.

Majacen saw them coming and made a pushing motion with his left hand. Nemo flew backwards and hit the wall, cracks spreading throughout the stone from the point of his impact. Next, the old man raised both arms, clenched his empty hand, and brought them down violently.

Great blocks and chunks of stone detached themselves from the ceiling and hurtled downward, burying Nemo under several tons of rock.

Majacen sheathed his sword, which they both noticed was glowing brightly with a strong white light. "That will not hold him for long," the old man said quickly. "Let us leave this place immediately!"

The three of them ran for the exit of the pyramid, Majacen in the lead. He made a waving gesture behind him after they passed through any door as they made for the outside, which Midna assumed to be some sort of sealing charm or ward.

They could hear rumbling and crashing behind them as Link heaved open the main door of the pyramid and they rushed outside into the desert, the bright sun almost blinding Midna after the darkness of the pyramid.

Midna saw Arnak, Erik, and Raskys standing outside the entrance, questioning looks on their faces.

"Who is this?" said Arnak, indicating Majacen.

"I am Majacen, sir. We do not have time for further introductions, and we must leave this place now." The old man waved at the rock wall that separated the pyramid complex from the rest of the desert.

"Why? What's going in in there?" said Raskys.

Majacen interrupted Midna before she got more than two words out. "I do not think you realize how serious the situation is. We are leaving, now. I know a place we can go where the Antihero cannot find us, and I will explain there."

Before anyone else said or did anything, Majacen snapped his fingers and the world disappeared in a flash of white.

* * *

(Revision Note) Fixed a few errors here and there and re-worded a couple awkward sentences; the usual stuff. Thanks for reading!


	10. The Great Deku Tree

Ten

Viserys leaned against the railing on the command platform of his flagship, _Falcon's Pride, _looking out at the endless blue sky. The enormous bird-shaped vessel currently sailed three thousand feet above the ground, gliding through the clouds.

The_ Falcon's Pride_ was a warship, built for the sole purpose of battling the Oocca. The ship, barely a year and a half old, like the rest of his air fleet, had proved her worth -and justified her expense- time and again, once holding off one of the Oocca's gigantic flying castles by herself. This was as much a testament to her crew as to the durability of the ship herself.

The Mercenary King called for a status report and nodded sharply when he received it, listening to the bridge personnel describe the state of the vessel. All was running smoothly; no problems with the ship, crew at full readiness, the other ships in the group reporting the same. No flying fortresses had been spotted as of yet, but, as they usually appeared with little to no warning, this did not mean stepping down from full alert. A scout ship had seen a flying fortress in this area a few hours ago, and all ships were required to be on maximum alert until its position was locked down.

The bridge of _Falcon's Pride_ was open to the air at the moment, and the breeze flowed through the command center and toyed with Viserys' cloak, sending it snapping and ruffling about him. He allowed himself to sink into deep thought, knowing that he could snap himself back to full attention in an eye blink. He gazed out at the sweeping contours of his ship as he pondered the situation in which he had found himself.

The Balacruf, as Viserys' people called themselves, had not invented the airship, but they had radically improved on the existing designs and were now the undeniable masters of the sky, next to the Oocca. Nobody in this part of the world had even heard of the avian race until two years ago, when they started their depredations in this area.

This was one of the reasons that the nation-for-hire was able to maintain their nomadic lifestyle. The whole of the Balacruf could be packed into the air fleet and sail across the sky to wherever they needed to go.

They also maintained a successful shipping company that covered two of the world's continents, or had until the Oocca had started ambushing the transport ships. The flagship's current mission was to escort several ships full of supplies and reinforcements for the ground effort to one of their many bases, paid for by Lord Tywin's gold.

The war against the Oocca had become personal to the Balacruf, and the mercenary work they did was just a source of funds for it. When one ruler decided that he didn't have the money to pay them anymore, they simply moved on to the next territory under siege and offered their services. Maintaining an army, especially a mobile one, was costly work, and nothing was wasted. Every gold piece or Rupee charged went straight to where it was most needed.

As the clouds slowly drifted past, lit from above by the shining golden disc of the sun, Viserys looked past the sweeping lines of the warship to the ground far below, a vast quilt of brown and blue and green, a town or city periodically scattered below like children's building blocks. From his lofty perch, Viserys could see for dozens of miles, and a curling plume of smoke attracted his attention, evidence that the enemy army was on the move, plundering through this area.

Whoever was directing the Oocca's invasion had an interesting way of thinking, in Viserys' mind. The flying fortress attacks were just the beginning. First, the floating castles would come in and bomb any city, town or village they encountered, probably mapping the area at the same time.

Next, a wave of Darknuts and Bulblins, along with Lizalfos and various other assorted monstrous creatures, would come in on the ground, rounding up survivors and establishing bases in what was left of the cities. Viserys thought that the avians were probably planning to use the survivors as slaves, though for what purpose he hadn't yet bothered to speculate.

Roughly three-quarters of the nation-for-hire was engaged in the ground effort, taking back cities and, when they could, repelling the invasion before the enemy force got too settled into the conquered territory.

There hadn't been any demand for flying warships until the Oocca came along, so at the current time, most of Viserys' fleet was made up of converted transports, which weren't faring so well against the avian conquerors.

The Oocca had several means of attack, which Viserys had been studying closely to exploit for weaknesses. Their main advantage was their flying fortresses, which were nearly invulnerable from the ground. An accidental skirmish with a flying fortress while on a routine shipping mission had granted the Balacruf the vital knowledge that the Oocca flying castles had little to no armor on the top, and could be seriously damaged from calculated bombing runs.

He was still mystified as to what, exactly, kept the floating castles in the air, since they didn't use gigantic, gas-filled balloons like most of his fleet did. _Falcon's Pride_ was the first in an experimental class, and was kept aloft mostly through giant propellers pointing downwards. They worked fairly well, and the rest of the fleet was gradually adopting this method.

A whooping, shrieking siren sounded throughout _Falcon's Pride_, interrupting Viserys' thoughts. Someone had spotted an Oocca fortress, and the crew rushed to get ready for battle. Viserys snapped himself rigidly back to the present as he raised his telescope and scanned the horizon for the enemy vessel.

"Battle alert! Cut off that alarm!" he ordered. He pulled a cord as he said this, opening a series of metal tubes designed to amplify what was said into them through the whole vessel. He'd found this a most efficient way to get his orders to everyone at once. "Alert the transport ships to hold position while we engage," Viserys ordered, searching the skies for the flying fortress.

There, off the port bow, about four miles away. The enormous floating castle's twisted lines were obscured by a puffy white cloud, as if it was attempting to hide from the warships. Viserys found this odd. Usually, they came out of nowhere, cannons blazing and Oocca pouring out of every door on the thing, flying over to sabotage the enemy ships. It might be a trick, he thought.

"Archers at the ready! Prepare to repel boarders!" Viserys ordered. He watched as the archers assembled along the deck railing, bows drawn and arrows ready to shoot down any Oocca that came swooping in.

"What's he doing?" Tyrone, his first officer, asked from the main bridge below. "I've never seen one try to hide from us before."

"Maybe they're finally learning that we're a force to be reckoned with," said one of the helmsmen. "It's about time they started running away."

"Well, gentlemen," Viserys said to the bridge crew, "Let's see what kind of shape they're in. Full spread!"

Five of the forward cannons launched an airborne bomb at the Oocca fortress as _Falcon's Pride_ swooped closer to the enemy vessel. Viserys didn't really expect this particular barrage to hit; he just wanted to see what condition their defensive systems were in. The Balacruf discovered early on in the war that there was some kind of automatic defense on the Oocca flying fortresses that targeted their fire and tried to shoot it out of the sky before the bombs arrived. Most of the time, it was successful, but the skilled gunners had found ways around it.

Skilled gunners in Viserys' fleet were in high demand right now.

As he tracked the bombs across the sky, Viserys was surprised when all five of them impacted against the flying fortress. No shots from the enemy whatsoever.

He leaned forward and put his telescope to his eye again. He zoomed in until it was at maximum magnification and examined the floating castle closely.

It was in poor shape, with great gouges carved out of a number of places and the distinctive craters of bombs splattered almost everywhere across the floating fortress. The gouges were what most interested Viserys; he'd never seen anything like them. It seemed as if the fortress was made of wet clay and great fingers had scooped parts of it out.

"Fire another spread. Aim for the tallest spire." The Mercenary King watched as his orders were carried out and another five bombs sailed for the top of the fortress.

All five exploded against the uppermost spire, blowing off the very top and sending it plunging to the bottom of the structure. The fortress continued to drift with the cloud, not reacting at all to the attack.

Viserys saw this as an opportunity. Perhaps this fortress was just drifting with the wind, and all the Oocca aboard it were dead. If he could capture it for study…

"Tyrone, you have the ship. I'm going to take a squad over and get a better look. I may board it, if it looks abandoned." Viserys stepped down the stairs of the command platform as Tyrone ascended them.

The Mercenary King left the bridge of the ship and headed down to the hangar bay, where the troop transports and scout ships were kept. On the way, he passed several of the working men and women who kept _Falcon's Pride_ in the air.

They simply nodded respectfully to him as he passed; even though he was the ruler of the nation-for-hire, Viserys disdained obsequious displays of obeisance, and never required any of his people to call him anything grander than 'Sir' or 'Admiral' when he was aboard his flagship. All he demanded was the respect due a man in his position.

He pointed at a squad of soldiers he passed in a hallway and jerked his thumb behind him. They fell into step and followed him to the hangar. In case there were any Oocca still aboard the fortress, it wouldn't hurt to be careful.

Once inside the cavernous hangar bay, Viserys and the soldiers boarded a troop transport, a smaller, cylindrical-shaped airship, and buckled in. Viserys sat down next to the pilot of the craft, adjusting his sword. As they took off, he wondered what he would find aboard the enemy craft. If he could discover what it was that had damaged the fortress so much, he would have an advantage over his inscrutable enemy, and he could end this war that much sooner.

* * *

Ivan and Kraytos followed Remi deeper into the leafy green forest. As Kraytos looked around, he could tell that this forest was ancient. Many trees were very thick, but nothing was overgrown. The whole place was very attractive and peaceful. He found himself thinking that he wouldn't mind spending the next few months here. He hoped that who(or what)ever the Deku Tree was, it would let the refugees stay here while Link and Arnak found a way to stop the Oocca.

The two warriors had to jog to keep up with Remi, who skipped along the path laughing, as happy and carefree as the child he appeared to be.

Kraytos had his suspicions, however, that Remi was not a normal child. The boy hadn't once mentioned any kind of parent besides the Deku Tree, and Kraytos had never seen a fairy follow anyone for this length of time before. Of course, he had to admit, he didn't know much about fairies.

After following the path through the lush forest for several minutes, they came to what looked like an impenetrable wall of foliage. The trees had grown close together, their roots and branches curling and twining over one another until nothing bigger than a bird could possibly get through without hacking its way in. The wall extended far off in each direction until it disappeared into the thick forest.

Remi stopped at the edge of the wall. His sapphire-tinted fairy swirled about him and flew to the wall. It moved in a vertical circle on one portion of the tree-wall, and the branches and roots parted, making an opening big enough for them all to walk through.

The boy turned back to them. "We'll have to go through the village to get to the Great Deku Tree's meadow," he said. "I'll introduce you to everyone!" Remi said as he dashed off, his fairy floating behind him.

As they followed the boy, Kraytos noticed Ivan tense when the wall sealed up again behind them. Ivan was suspicious of everything, always warning the men of the group to watch out for traps. No one ever asked him to stop doing this, though, because they had escaped from more than one ambush due to Ivan's vigilance.

The forest abruptly cleared away into a pleasant little glade, filled with more laughing children playing among a close grouping of stumps and hillocks scattered throughout the glade. A shallow stream wound its way through the clearing before passing into the forest wall that surrounded the area. It took Kraytos a second to realize that most of the large stumps and hillocks were not stumps or hillocks at all, but buildings and houses. This was a village, a village full of children.

Ivan looked around and murmured, "I don't see any adults. Do you?" Kraytos shook his head by way of reply.

As soon as Remi ran into the village, shouting greetings, all the green-clad children swarmed over to the two men, smiling and giggling and asking questions. Remi waved them all to quiet.

"These are Big People from outside the forest. The flying men made them leave their homes, and I wanted to ask the Deku Tree if they and all their friends could stay here." The little boy looked back at Ivan and Kraytos. "These are all my friends. You'll have to meet them all later, since we're going to the Deku Tree now. Come on!" He started off towards another break in the wall, but one of the other forest children called to him.

"Remi! You can't talk to the Deku Tree right now!" she said. "He's busy talking with the other Big People."

A look of confusion passed across the boy's face. "What other Big People?"

* * *

Arnak heaved a deep breath. Teleportation was very disorienting for him, and it was also unsettling. One second you were in one place, and the next, you were somewhere completely different, without even a hint of travel time. The whole thing seemed very unnatural.

He shook it off and looked around as the flash of white light faded. He, Raskys, Link, Midna, Erik, and the strange old man called Majacen were standing in a forest, radically different from their previous location, the Gerudo Desert.

Midna was the first to speak. "All right, you," she said to Majacen, "Who are you really, and what were you actually doing in that pyramid?"

The old man gestured at an array of stumps that looked oddly like chairs, and he sat down in one. Most of the others sat, but Arnak remained standing. Even now, he was on his guard. He didn't know anything about this Majacen except that he was old and knew magic, which instantly placed him under suspicion in Arnak's mind.

"I am a wizard," Majacen said. "I have been blessed by the Goddesses with great magic power, in exchange for helping the people of their creation whenever possible." He pulled back his hair to show them his pointed ears.

That made sense; Arnak had been told that ordinary, round-eared humans could not use magic at all, the exception being if they used some kind of power-granting object. Pointy-eared Hylians usually had some magic ability, but most never bothered to train in it.

"All right, now what were you really doing in the desert?" Midna demanded. "Nobody goes to the Gerudo Desert without a good reason, and frankly, I don't believe the one you gave me there." Midna seemed tense and irritated about something. Perhaps that was why she was being unnecessarily rude to the old man.

Majacen appeared to take it in stride. He laughed gently before he responded. "I actually was in the pyramid to study the Zuna, like I told you. I must have arrived before you did, because I didn't see any of you when I got there. That was the third site in the desert I had come to, looking for ancient magical devices. I collect them, to keep them out of the hands of those who do not know their power." The old man's tone darkened. "And those who do."

He straightened up again, and smiled quickly before resuming. "I had not found anything of any great value, which was unsurprising. Ganondorf had looted the place thoroughly before moving in. I had come to the pyramid mostly to see what remained of the original owners, but I had also come to see if Ganondorf had left the Sword of Darkness behind when he was captured by the Sages."

"What's the Sword of Darkness, apart from overdramatically named?" Raskys said, leaning back in his stump-chair.

"It is a twisted copy of the Master Sword," Majacen replied, "forged by Ganondorf after he was defeated by the Hero of Time. He escaped for several years after his first imprisonment, during which he plotted another takeover of Hyrule. This is when he made the Triforce of Shadow. He made the Sword of Darkness out of leftover material from forging his mockery of the Golden Power, imbuing it with what he thought was enough energy to overcome the Master Sword if he ever encountered it again."

Link spoke up. "I'm going to guess that sword Nemo had was this Sword of Darkness."

Majacen nodded. "You are correct, Hero."

Raskys snorted. "As if he wasn't unpleasant enough already. Now he's got himself a powerful evil sword to harass us with."

"That's not all he's got," Midna said. "He took the Fused Shadows from me with it, and he has the Triforce of Shadow, too, in case anybody forgot."

Erik and Majacen both reacted in an almost identical way to this news. Clearly, they both knew what she was talking about. Arnak considered asking her what the Fused Shadows were, but he decided to save that question for later. He thought this discussion was getting distracted enough as it was. He felt like telling them all to focus on the main objective, which was their next course of action.

"Did he get all of them?" Erik asked. When Midna nodded, he scowled.

"This is indeed bad news," Majacen said. "This means the creature is even more powerful now than I feared." He sighed heavily. "The details of the Fused Shadows are beyond my area of expertise. We shall have to consult with someone who knows more about them than I do." He stood up and raised his hand again, but Raskys jumped up and gave a little shout.

"Hey, now. Where are we going this time? I don't fancy being teleported again." Raskys raised a warning finger at the old man. Arnak shared this sentiment.

Majacen chuckled as he completed his gesture, indicating a path through the forest with a wave of his hand. "I was about to say that he is a short distance away, through those trees."

"Where are we, anyway?" Midna said. "You said Nemo couldn't find us here, so where is 'here'?"

"We are just outside a sacred place known as the Kokiri Forest," Majacen answered. "It is protected by its guardian spirit, the Great Deku Tree, and it is he we are going to speak with."

Raskys moved closer to Arnak. "Let's hope he makes more sense than these other people," he whispered.

Arnak nodded his agreement.

* * *

Link moved through the forest slowly, following Majacen as the old wizard walked along the path. He hoped their talk with the Deku Tree didn't last long. He was ready to lay down and go to sleep right then and there under a tree.

Midna, who was walking next to him, seemed to be equally as tired. This was somewhat strange to Link, since she had almost never slept on their journey to save Hyrule. Most of the time, she had kept watch for him as he slept out under the stars, or hid in his shadow when he stayed in a town for the night.

Majacen called for a rest break, and they stopped by a sparkling stream running through the woods. The group spread out to fill their canteens and attempt to wash off some of the grit from the desert.

Link wandered a little ways down the stream, coming to a crystal-clear pond. He breathed deeply, inhaling the fresh scent of the forest. He didn't know why, but Link liked being in the woods more than anywhere else. He took off his weapons and left them on the shore, wading out a little ways into the pond.

As Link bent to splash some water on his face, he felt a foot plant itself on his lower back and shove. Surprised, the young warrior toppled forward, landing face first in the water. He did a push-up and rolled over to see Midna standing over him, smiling innocently.

He raised an eyebrow in mock irritation and took her hand as she extended it to help him to his feet. Grinning Link yanked downward on Midna's arm, causing her to lose her balance and splash into the water next to him.

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be, huh?" she said, laughing. She leaped over at him, grabbing his arms and shoving him down, trying to dunk him under the water.

Link reacted with a quick twist of his body and planted his hand between her shoulders, shoving down sharply. He jumped a short distance away, laughing as she emerged from the water, now thoroughly soaked.

Midna swept her hair out of her eyes with one hand, mock-glaring at him. "Now you're going to get it, Mr. Hero!" she mock-threatened, jokingly shaking a fist at him. She continued to pretend to scowl at him until they both broke out laughing.

They stood there a few more minutes, glad to relax and be at peace for a few moments at least.

Link turned to look at the rest of the pond and the forest beyond it. This was an idyllic place, with a sort of peaceful, relaxing air to it. No other forest he had ever visited had had this effect on him.

He heard splashing behind him, but didn't turn to look as Midna waded over to stand next to him. She put her hand on his shoulder in the way she usually did, and he turned his head to smile at his friend.

She smiled back as she spoke, staring out at the forest. "This sure is a pretty place. That was one thing I noticed when you and I traveled all that time together. Your world is one of beauty." Her smile became a smirk. "When it isn't getting attacked by something."

The Hero laughed softly. "That is true. Maybe that's the reason Hyrule is so beautiful; it inspires the Hero to protect it, to preserve its beauty."

Midna rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me the mighty warrior's become a poet," she said, smiling again.

"Well," he replied, "I'm not action all the time." They both laughed again.

"Come on," she said, patting him on the back. "We should head back now." She turned and started back to he shore.

The Hero of Light took one last look out at the forest before he joined her. It was true, what he said. The magnificent beauty of Hyrule _was _one of the reasons he fought so hard to protect it. From the awesome grandeur of the snowy mountains, to the gentle, sloping plains, each part of the land seemed to cry out to him to protect it from those who would despoil the world for their own selfish ends.

Link took a deep breath, his sense of purpose renewed. He _had_ to find a way to stop the villains who threatened the world. After all, wasn't that what a Hero was for?

* * *

Raskys slid his sword back into its scabbard, putting his whetstone into one of his pockets. He stood up as Link and Midna walked back into the clearing.

He noticed that they had both been wet, but decided not to ask why.

Majacen stood up from the stump he had been sitting on. "Is everyone ready to go? The Deku Tree is not more than twenty minutes from where we are now."

The little group gathered their equipment and set off on the path.

True to the wizard's words, they emerged from the forest path into a clearing about twenty minutes later, where the biggest tree Raskys had ever seen dominated the space. It was like an immense pillar of wood, stretching far up into the forest canopy.

What was either fascinating or disturbing -he hadn't decided which- was that there was a face at the bottom of the tree. At the moment, he couldn't tell whether it was carved or naturally occurring.

"_**Ye are welcome, weary travelers."**_

It was like a voice inside his mind, not an audible sound. It sounded ancient and full of power, but kind, and oddly, a little youthful at the same time.

"Greetings to you, Great Deku Tree." Majacen said, bowing formally before the face.

_He's talking to the tree?_ Raskys thought. _What kind of tree is this?_

"_**What is it that bringeth thee before me, Wizard of the Goddesses?" **_the voice said.

Majacen straightened. "I have need of your guidance, O Deku Tree."

"_**Thou knowest much, Majacen. What knowledge have I that thou needest?"**_

"What do you know about the Fused Shadows?" the wizard asked.

The tree seemed to frown. "_**My predecessor was tasked with guarding one of those foul magic relics when they were taken from their makers. He knew much about them, but not all that knowledge has yet passed to me."**_

Midna stepped forward. "What do you mean?"

Raskys sensed disapproval from the Deku Tree.

"_**Majacen, why allowest thou one of those who were banished into this sacred place? Thou knowest better than most that it is forbidden for them to return to this world.**_"

The old man sighed, as if remembering a long-forgotten memory.

_What does _that_ mean? _thought Raskys.

Link stepped in front of the Twilight Princess. "With all due respect, Great Deku Tree, Midna has more than earned the right to be in the world of light. You were here when Hyrule was covered in Twilight, weren't you?"

"_**Indeed I was, Hero. Thou is was who cleared away the cloud of Twilight and defeated the Dark Lord Ganondorf. Thine actions recall the Hero of Time, who once lived in these woods."**_

"I wouldn't have been able to do any of that without her," Link said, gesturing to the Twilight Princess. "She was my companion, my advisor, my… friend. I wouldn't have gotten far without her." Midna smiled at Link as she put her hand on his shoulder, and the Hero smiled back.

Raskys put his hand over his heart. "Oh, how sweet," he said to Arnak, putting more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

The big man elbowed him in the ribs. "This is not the time," he murmured.

The face on the tree seemed to smile, also. _**"Every Hero hath someone to help them along. If she is as thou sayest, than she is welcome in my forest." **_

The face turned, focusing its attention on Arnak. _**"Two of the Chosen Ones of the Gods are here, I see. The third is not far away, in the ancient temple to Farore. These three should stay together in this dark time, to draw strength from one another whilst they fight the new evil."**_

The Deku Tree frowned. "_**Forgive me, Emissary of the Gods. I have been distracted from thy question. What is it thou wanted to know about the Fused Shadows?"**_

"The current Antihero has managed to take all four of the Fused Shadows from the Twilight Princess," Majacen said. "I wish to know how much of their power he is able to use at this time."

"_**Hmm. I shall have to concentrate on this a moment. I request thy patience." **_The tree fell silent for a few moments._** "There are two others waiting to speak to me. I shall allow them in while I search my predecessor's memory for the answer thou seekest."**_

A small boy dressed in green stepped into the clearing, followed by two men Raskys recognized.

Arnak turned to them. "Ivan and Kraytos. What are you two doing here?"

The older warrior answered. "I was wondering the same thing myself, sir." Ivan strode over to Link's group and gripped forearms with Arnak, in a warrior's salute. He indicated the green-clad youth standing next to him. "Remi here brought us to talk to the Deku Tree about the refugees from Castle Town."

"I'm sure it's okay if all your friends stay here, but we have to ask the Deku Tree's permission first," the boy piped up.

"_**I am sorry, Majacen. It is taking me longer to find what thou seekest than I had thought. The day is drawing to a close. Ye are all welcome to stay in the village for the night. I bid all a good evening, and may thy sleep be pleasant. I will tell thee what I find in the morning." **_

The tree made settling-down noises and Remi beckoned the warriors to follow him.

The Deku Tree had one last thing to add, however, before they left his meadow. _**"I will allow all the displaced of Hyrule to reside in my woods until this latest conflict is resolved. Ye may alert them to come here whenever they choose." **_The tree made the settling-down noises again, and made no noise after until the group exited the meadow.

As they walked into the village, Remi spoke up again. "I'll show you where you can all stay. The Hero can have Link's old house, since nobody lives there right now."

Raskys didn't bother to stick around for the explanation of what that meant, almost too tired to think. He found the hut he was staying in and paused only long enough to remove his weapons and boots before throwing himself down on the leaf-stuffed mattress and going to sleep.

* * *

Midna watched the others of their group stumble off to the houses they were staying in. She and Link stayed out in the main village for a little while longer, since the Kokiri were barraging the Hero with questions.

As far as she could tell, the Hero of Time had also been named Link, and had once lived in this village. Link had told her once that green had always been a traditional color of the Heroes, but this Hero of Time had apparently started the trend of wearing the floppy green hat, since almost all of the male forest children wore one.

Further questioning revealed that more than half of the Kokiri had personally known the Hero of Time, which both Midna and Link found difficult to believe, seeing as how that would make all these children at least a hundred and thirty years old.

"They must be an entirely different race," Link said as they settled down for the night in the Hero of Time's old house. "That's the only explanation."

Erik, the other person staying in this house with them, was silent, having already fallen asleep. He showed no sign of being irritated that they were still talking, and lay motionless on the floor, his head pillowed on his boots.

"It's like something out of a fairy tale," Midna said. "Children who never grow up."

Midna looked around the tiny, one-room house. There wasn't much in here, but it certainly didn't look like nobody had lived here in more than a century. It looked like the previous owner had moved out yesterday. It was almost like time had no meaning in this forest. She had looked at the sign at the front of the house with some amusement. It had read "Link's House" in a childish scrawl. She'd pointed this out to the Hero, who had a sign in front of his own dwelling that said the exact same thing, albeit a little more neatly written.

Midna settled down in the bed, using her flowing outer robe as a blanket. Link had graciously offered the house's only bed to her, choosing to sleep on the floor himself. Erik had already been inside and asleep when they entered, having apparently made the same decision.

She rolled over to see Link pulling off his boots, throwing them aside with a contented sigh.

He saw her looking at him and sighed again, exaggeratedly, rolling his eyes comically. "It feels like I haven't taken these off in a year," he said, feigning disgust as he lightly sniffed one of his boots. Midna had to stifle a laugh, and Link grinned, lightly chuckling himself.

The young warrior pulled off his green tunic and dropped it next to where he sat, extricating himself from the light chainmail shirt next. Setting the chainmail next to his weapons, he rolled up his green tunic for use as a pillow and laid his head down on it, going to sleep almost immediately.

The Twilight Princess, however, had a little more trouble. The discussion with the Deku Tree had raised many questions within her, and she hoped to get most of them answered tomorrow, when they spoke with the guardian spirit again.

She stared at the ceiling of the Hero of Time's house, trying to quiet her mind. No such luck. Her thoughts churned around inside her head, making her unable to rest. The empty hole within her mind where her magic had been gnawed at her as well, a phantom ache as if the Antihero had cut off one of her arms instead of taking the Fused Shadows.

_That does it, _Midna thought to herself. _I'm going outside._

She donned her robe again and picked her way across the floor, careful to not disturb either of the sleeping warriors. She stopped at the door and slowly opened it, stepping outside onto the small balcony of the house, where she sat down on the balcony, letting her legs hang over the edge as she tried to organize all the revelations that had come to light over the past few days.

The biggest one, to her, was the sword that lay at the foot of the bed inside the house. She still didn't know what it was, exactly, or even what its real name was. She'd been calling it the Twilight Blade, but for all she knew, it was actually named something completely different. She didn't know who had made it, where it came from, or what its real purpose was.

Was it another evil copy of the Master Sword, like Nemo's Sword of Darkness? Her ancestors would not have been above creating a weapon to match the power of the Hero that eventually defeated them.

It certainly didn't feel evil to her. Link had held it without any problem, but it had looked ready to leap out of Nemo's hand when he tried to use it against her. She thought that if it was a weapon of evil, it would have been the other way around.

No, the sword she called the Twilight Blade was definitely not evil, but it was still a mystery to her.

Another mystery was Arnak, the new bearer of the Triforce of Power. What was it about him that attracted that particular piece of the holy relic? He was certainly physically, muscularly powerful, but that couldn't be the only reason. Ganondorf had been physically powerful, but he also had tremendous magical powers, as well. Arnak himself had confirmed that he had no extraordinary abilities other than what he thought his Triforce gave him.

Not only was Arnak not from Hyrule kingdom, he was from a continent on the other side of the world! What good would it do to give a piece of the Triforce to someone who would probably never come into contact with the other two bearers? Was that exactly the reason why he'd been given the powerful artifact?

But, he _had_ come to Hyrule. According to him, he'd come here in search of the Hero, who he hoped would help him defeat the flying invaders who had destroyed his home and his life. Was this destined to happen, or was it all just a horrible string of coincidences?

Midna shook her head and sighed in exasperation. She stood up, thinking about walking around in the village, when she saw Majacen strolling along by himself, his brow creased in thought. He looked up at her and smiled, waving his hand in greeting.

He returned to his walk and drew away from the house, following the course of the stream. She found herself wondering what he was thinking so hard about.

The Twilight Princess felt a wave of sleepiness wash over her. She went back inside and laid down on the bed, knowing that tomorrow would undoubtedly be another long day.

* * *

Author's Note: I revised this chapter a little, cleaning up the sentence structure in a few places and correcting the grammar errors. Thanks to Cloudrunner Sparty for _correct_ grammar for the Deku Tree. If you're reading this for the first time, be glad, because the original version was just atrocious. I didn't know much about Old English, and it showed. It's been bugging me since it was first pointed out, so I'm glad I fixed it finally. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated; I enjoy having a wide array of opinions on my work.


	11. The Hero's Company

Eleven

Viserys stared out of the window of his craft at the monstrous Oocca fortress floating a few dozen yards away. His troop transport had been flying in a slow, spiraling search pattern around it, coming closer on each pass.

The Mercenary King was still suspicious of the seeming gift. The gods he believed in were as likely to play a trick on their mortal creations as they were to bestow a blessing.

"All right," he said finally. "Find a place to land. We're going inside."

The pilot of the troop transport nodded sharply and adjusted his controls. The craft swooped in closer as he obeyed Viserys' orders.

Viserys got up and went back to where the soldiers he had picked were adjusting their armor and checking their weapons.

"Be on your guard at all times," he told them. "We do not know exactly what awaits us. I want a weapon in everyone's hand at all times."

The soldiers all nodded, the dim light flashing off of their shiny helmets.

"If anyone sees anything moving other than his teammates," Viserys continued, "I want you to tell someone immediately. Do not go to investigate by yourselves. I want no casualties on this mission, is that understood?" Another round of nods and voiced affirmations.

"I found a place to land, sir. We'll be touching down in two minutes," the pilot said.

"Acknowledged," Viserys said over his shoulder. He sat down next to one of the soldiers and buckled in.

On the way there, the soldiers indulged in a bit of conversation, wondering amongst themselves what they would find in the abandoned fortress. The guesses ranged from the realistic, which was not much of anything, to the far-fetched, which was mountains of treasure. Viserys refrained from joining the conversation, preferring to listen instead.

Viserys felt a jarring thump through his boots as the transport landed. He and all the soldiers unbuckled their restraints and drew their weapons as one of the men opened the door. The squad leader of the soldiers was the first one out, followed by Viserys.

A scene of frozen chaos spread out before them. Debris was strewn everywhere, and there were multiple avian bodies crumpled in contorted positions, as if a series of massive impacts had thrown them around without chance for recovery.

"Spread out, but keep each other in sight. Watch for survivors," Viserys said as he started poking through the wreckage with the tip of his sword.

The men partnered off, each pair going a different direction.

Viserys and one of the soldiers walked together, sifting through the assorted junk that had come loose during whatever battle this fortress had been in. They worked in silence, the other man seeming to be afraid to talk to the Admiral. Viserys was not an especially harsh commander, but he knew that he was fairly intimidating to some people. He just hoped it wouldn't interfere with the man's duties.

The Mercenary King looked around at the sharp twisted lines of the harshly designed fortress, comparing it to the other examples of Oocca architecture he had seen through the course of the war. He had first encountered the avian civilization about three years ago on an another mission. He and his crew had explored an abandoned floating city of the Oocca and had considered appropriating it for use as a base by his people. Halfway through their exploration, the city had suddenly come to life on its own and some strange mechanical creatures had chased him and his men back to their ships.

A year later, during his first encounter with the flying invaders, Viserys had recognized the technology and architecture, and still wished that he had been able to capture the abandoned city for study. Most of the time, when he and his men succeeded in damaging a flying fortress enough to try and board it to capture it, the Oocca commander would trigger some kind of self-destruct and leave them nothing. This was the first time he had set foot on a relatively intact enemy vessel.

As he explored the fortress, Viserys became more and more confident that there weren't any Oocca still in control of it. The only living thing other than the men he had brought with him he encountered was an odd little creature that looked like an unholy cross between a human and a Cucco that jumped out at him as he entered the upper sections of the fortress. It babbled something at the soldier he was with, jumped on the man's shoulder, and flew off, flapping its stubby wings furiously. The soldier swiped at it with his axe, but missed.

"What was that thing, sir?" the soldier asked, an amusedly incredulous look on his face.

"It is unimportant," Viserys replied. "Come, I believe the command center is through here."

He and the soldier wrenched open a stuck door and stepped into the room. They stopped just beyond the door, since one of the huge gouges broke straight through the center of the room. Viserys told the soldier to stay at the entrance, and headed into the main room by himself. This was definitely the control room of the flying fortress. There were banks of dials and controls covering most of the room, with the exception of whatever had been blasted away.

Viserys sheathed his sword as he bent down and looked at the hole. The edges were not ragged, but smooth, as if the hole had been cut out and not blasted. It was certainly not consistent with any type of bomb he had ever seen. What had done this?

He heard a ragged breath, with a slight whistling tone to it. Both he and the soldier cocked their heads, listening for the source of the sound. When they heard it again, Viserys motioned the soldier to go around the other side of the room towards the ragged breathing. He tightened his grip on his sword as he picked his way through the wreckage to the source of the noise. He left the weapon in its scabbard, for now, but kept his hand on it in case it was an enemy.

The pained breathing came again, and this time Viserys pinpointed the sound as coming from under a toppled console. He and the soldier lifted the wreckage up and tossed it to the side, revealing an Oocca in poor shape.

Not for the first time, it struck Viserys how odd the creatures he fought looked. They were man-sized, and mostly humanoid-shaped, except for the wings coming out of their shoulders and the extra-long fingers.

The creature's eyes blinked open and looked at Viserys. It strained out a few words in an odd, shrilling language before realizing that Viserys couldn't understand it. It looked at him a while longer, and then started to speak again.

"C-Come to… finish us off?"

Viserys stared at the Oocca, meeting its red eyes with his violet ones. "Tell me what did this to your vessel."

A wheezing, choking sound came from the creature. "You aren't… the ones we fought… back in that… accursed village?"

"What village?"

The creature looked confused for a moment, and then resigned. "It won't hurt… to tell you, I suppose. We'll all be dead… soon enough." The creature broke into another fit of wet-sounding coughing. "It was a… little village south of Hyrule. It was going… good for a while, until their backup… arrived."

_Hyrule?_ Viserys thought. _That's thousands of miles from here. How long have they been drifting?_

"What backup?" he said out loud. "What did they use that did this kind of damage?" _And is it something I can use against the rest of your kind? _he added silently.

"I didn't really… get…a good look at the… people on the ground. All we knew was that… blue-green blasts of light started… smashing through. I've never…seen anything…like it." The Oocca strained as if to get up, but it slumped back to the floor, letting out its last breath.

"Sounds like some kind of magic attack, sir," the soldier said.

"Yes, it does," Viserys said softly, more to himself than the soldier. "But I haven't heard of any kind of mage that powerful in a long time. Who was it?"

But, the soldier had no answer, and the Oocca could no longer give him one.

* * *

Erik was the first in the house to wake up. He rose quietly, leaving his two sleeping companions behind and stepping outside to put on his equipment. As he looked around, he wondered if his ancestress, the legendary Impa, had ever been to this place.

He, of course, had known about the Kokiri Forest before the wizard Majacen brought them here. The Sheikah knew many things about the world that they kept to themselves. He had never been here before now, since the new Deku Tree had sealed off the Lost Woods after the Hero of Time departed Hyrule. Only a Kokiri or a designated emissary of the gods could enter the Kokiri forest now, unless the Deku Tree opened the barrier.

As he looked out at the Kokiri village, Erik saw the forest children start to emerge from their homes, still blinking sleepily. Majacen was strolling along, talking with a green-haired girl Erik didn't recall seeing yesterday. Arnak was in front of the house he had stayed in, exercising. Raskys was presumably still inside, since the Sheikah warrior didn't see him anywhere.

Erik somersaulted off the balcony, landing lightly on the ground. He decided to go for a run, and he took off, jogging around the edge of the village. As he ran, he noticed Arnak watching him suspiciously. He wasn't being obvious about it, but the Sheikah warrior was observant enough to note the big man's frown underneath his thick beard.

The Sheikah warrior repressed a sigh of frustration. Ever since he had met Arnak, the big man had been watching him, like he was waiting for Erik to do something sneaky. Raskys had also been watching the Sheikah, but he hadn't been as obvious about it. Erik wished he knew why the two men regarded him with such suspicion, since he'd never done anything remotely malicious to either of them.

Erik was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice the forest barrier separating in front of him. He slowed to a halt and rested his hand on his hip near one of his daggers as a person stepped out of the barrier and into the village.

He didn't recognize her at first, since her hair was loose and she was dressed in a large brown cloak and ordinary clothes instead of her usual finery, but Erik dropped to one knee as he got a better look at the woman's face.

Princess Zelda looked down at him and gestured up with one hand. "Sheikah warrior, I greet you," she said.

Erik stood. "I am in your service, Your Majesty," he replied.

Erik and Zelda stepped aside as a crowd of people entered the village, carrying bags and guiding animals. "What brings you here?"

"I was told by the Deku Tree that I could bring these people to these woods," Zelda said. "He also asked me to be present when he informed the Hero and his group of his findings." The princess watched the people move past her into the quiet little village, her grey eyes moving back and forth along the column. She seemed to be making sure everyone was there.

Erik knew that she hadn't physically spoken to the guardian tree, but had instead been contacted through a dream or vision. Members of the royal family, especially the women, were said to be highly perceptive of such things.

"How many refugees are there in total, Your Highness?" Erik asked. He saw people of all kinds walk past him, from every region of Hyrule.

There must have been close to a hundred people so far, and many more were coming. He recognized the King, being borne along in a litter by a few servants, and the elderly ruler seemed to be in bad shape. The other refugees parted before the litter, looking concernedly at the King and whispering among themselves.

Zelda seemed to force herself to focus on her conversation with Erik. He momentarily wondered why she was still talking to him, when she obviously had so much more to attend to. "We are not sure," she said. "The leaders and I have not had time to do an accurate count. We started out with not quite fifty, but we have encountered other groups of survivors from Castle Town, and other small villages and outposts the invaders have attacked. I understand the Hero and a few others were present during the attack on Ordon. I assume you were with that group?"

"Yes, Your Highness," he answered. "I retrieved one man, Shad, from Castle Town to help me find the Sacred Grove. He is with your group, if I'm not mistaken."

The Princess nodded. "He is. He told me of a Sheikah warrior who battled the Antihero. Your skills must be impressive to survive an encounter with such a creature."

"Not impressive enough, Your Highness," Erik replied. "I would have lost that battle had the Hero not arrived when he did."

Zelda smiled. "I have noticed he has a talent for that." She looked closer at Erik. "I do not believe we have met before. Are you not assigned to the Castle?"

"I am not, Your Highness. I was in Castle Town on other business, but I was ordered to go to the Sacred Grove and make sure the Hero got the Master Sword. I have been further ordered to accompany the Hero, and help him defeat the Antihero."

Zelda frowned slightly. "A task made all the more difficult, now that the creature has the Fused Shadows."

Erik nodded, not bothering to ask how the Princess knew about that.

Suddenly, the voice of the Deku Tree seemed to boom across the village. _**"Ye may now come to my meadow."**_

Erik looked around, but saw that only a few of the people in the village had reacted. Everyone else seemed unaware anything had happened. The ninja looked to see who was heading for the Deku Tree's meadow as he walked there himself.

Zelda fell into step beside him, her ornate rapier swinging with her movements under her cloak. Arnak buckled on his own sword belt, still watching Erik as Raskys joined him. Link and Midna emerged from the Hero of Time's house, their own weapons and equipment already fastened. Majacen was already most of the way to the path to the Deku Tree, but he paused to let the others catch up. Erik noticed Shad join the group as well, looking unsure of himself.

The Princess of Hyrule touched Majacen's arm as they walked, smiling at the old wizard. "Majacen, I have not seen you in quite some time. How have you been?"

It was not surprising that the Princess knew Majacen, since Erik knew that the wizard had once been an advisor to Zelda's father. The old man was reputedly very well-traveled, as he had been spotted by Sheikah agents all over the globe. None of them knew exactly who(or what) he was, since he had been seen to display some extraordinary powers. But, he seemed to be fairly harmless most of the time, so the Sheikah left him alone.

The wizard returned Zelda's smile. "I have been quite well, Your Majesty. It is good to know you are safe. How is your father?"

Zelda sighed quietly. Erik was walking next to her, on the other side from the wizard, and he barely heard it. "He has not been as you knew him for a long time," she said quietly. "Age has taken his wits."

Majacen sighed also. "That is saddening. He was a strong and forceful man when I knew him. It is not the end he deserves."

"Fate takes strange turns with us all, it seems," Zelda said. Majacen nodded.

The varied group arrived at the Great Deku Tree's meadow, stopping in front of the massive forest guardian.

"_**Good. All I have called for are here. First, I will address the question posed to me by the Wizard of the Goddesses."**_

Majacen straightened, giving the Deku Tree his full attention.

"_**The creature of darkness is unable to use the full range of power of the Fused Shadows. Only the true ruler of the Twili is able to use all the power of her ancestors."**_

"That still doesn't change the fact that I can't use magic anymore," Midna said. "How can we get the Fused Shadows back?"

The Deku Tree seemed to chuckle, a sound Erik thought odd, given the situation and the question Midna had asked.

"_**All in due time, Twilight Princess."**_

Midna scoffed. "Oh, now you know who I am. Yesterday I was 'one of those who were banished' and you were ready to throw me out!" She said this quietly, but most of the group heard her anyway. No one said anything, though.

The tree seemed to briefly frown at Midna, but it continued talking. _**"I have conferred with the Sages, and they confirmed what I found. The Antihero cannot use all the power of the Fused Shadows, but all the power Ganondorf placed in the Sword of Darkness is at his command. He also still possesses the Triforce of Shadow, but he is unable to use it. It merely rests within him, waiting to be returned to its true master. Ye must pursue the dark creature and put an end to him once and for all, before any other villains take possession of that which he hath."**_

"How am I to do that, Great Deku Tree?" Link asked the forest guardian. "He matched my power before, but he definitely exceeds it now."

"_**Around thee is the answer, Hero. The Antihero is powerful, but he is still just one creature. If thou hast allies to help thee, thou shalt surely overcome the Antihero's threat."**_

Majacen clapped Link on the shoulder. "I shall lend you my power for as long as you need it, Hero of Twilight."

Midna placed her hand on Link's other shoulder. "You have my power as well, such as it is right now. I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'll tag along anyway."

Arnak extended his hand to the Hero. "My men and I will continue to help you however we can. If anyone can help us defeat the Oocca, it is you."

"That goes for me, too," said Raskys. "I like to be where the action is, and right now it seems to follow you around wherever you go."

Link said nothing, but seemed grateful for the others swearing their help to him. From what Erik knew, Link had fought his previous adventure virtually by himself, and had almost gotten killed on several occasions. These new enemies were certainly more difficult -and more numerous- than the Twilight creatures the Hero had battled before, and he would need the help of the others. The Hero was a formidable warrior, but he was still just one man.

The Deku Tree spoke again. _**"I have called the others here because they, too, can help thee on thy journey. The Princess of Hyrule is not only the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, she is a skilled fighter, and will help you against whatever threats thou mayest encounter." **_

The forest guardian turned its face to Zelda._** "I will guard thy people, Princess Zelda, while thou art gone. The Triforce Bearers should stay together, since the holy relic of the gods is strongest when its bearers work as one." **_

Zelda nodded, though what the Deku Tree had said obviously surprised her.

Shad was fidgeting, and Erik thought that he was probably wondering why he was here. Hopefully, the Deku Tree would explain.

"_**I have called the scholar, Shad, because he is the mortal among ye who knoweth most about the Oocca. He can understand their writing, which shall prove an invaluable skill in thy journey to come."**_

"If you say so," said Shad. "I don't really know more than the legends my father researched, and he understood them much better than I do."

Arnak spoke up. "What is our destination, Deku Tree? Is the creature still at the pyramid where we left him?" The others perked up as well, eager to know where they were going first.

"_**He is for the moment, Bearer of Power. However, he hath found an ally, and will soon depart this world. Ye must go to the Dark Lord's fortress in the desert and follow him. Ye have only hours before the window closeth and the path is barred."**_

Everyone gathered, including Erik, wondered what this meant, but the Deku Tree did not elaborate. Majacen alone seemed to know what the guardian meant, but he remained silent for now.

"_**Ye may say thy goodbyes to thy loved ones, and then ye must depart. Ye hath no time to waste! Farewell, and may the Goddesses smile upon thee, Hero's Company!"**_

The group filed out of the meadow, each silently deciding to ask Majacen to explain further before they left.

* * *

Zherron gingerly picked his way through the ruined hallway. A Stalfos reared up out of a wall alcove, but it collapsed back into a pile of bones when it recognized him. The gaunt, pale man scowled. There hadn't been a Stalfos stationed here last week. Ever since the Master had left, the whole fortress had gone to rot. Literally, perhaps; the whole pyramid had been shaking, and explosions of some sort kept knocking Zherron off balance.

All the creatures the Master had kept around to guard his secrets were now running wild through the pyramid, not obeying any orders, since the Master's guiding influence had disappeared. Zherron scowled. If one thing irritated him, it was disorder.

He opened the door to the torture room, where he had left the odd female for further study. It wasn't that he intended to torture the woman; this was just the only place in the pyramid that had a table with straps on it. It was a pity that there weren't any more like her with her in the fortress. He could learn about their culture as he watched them. But, Zherron supposed, he'd have to settle for dissecting the woman. There wasn't much else to do, since the Master was gone.

He looked through his bag again, making sure he had all his chemicals. One of these ought to stop her nervous system without too much damage.

Zherron had found the strange female collapsed on the floor of the torture room. He had been unable to wake her, to ask her what she had been doing in the pyramid, so he had removed most of her clothing for study and strapped her to one of the torture tables until he could go get his chemicals and scalpels. He'd left her some clothing in case she woke up and he questioned her. The last scrap of decency left in the grim scientist demanded that she could at least preserve her modesty until she became a specimen. Then she would just be something for him to disassemble.

The fabric of her garments was unlike anything he had ever seen before, and he had taken those to a storage room he was using as a lab to study it later. It wasn't like she was going to use them again.

She was tall and thin, with bluish-gray skin and orange hair. He supposed some might find her attractive, if one went for exotic women. Zherron had no interest in what was on the outside of the body, but the inside fascinated him. That was one of the reasons he'd come into service to Ganondorf. The Dark Lord always had plenty of bodies for Zherron to dissect and investigate.

Ganondorf had briefly returned to his pyramid fortress nearly a year ago and restored order, waking Zherron from the slumber he had placed him in on a previous visit. The grim scientist been briefly annoyed to learn that he had been in stasis for almost a hundred years this time. Then the Master had disappeared again, leaving the fortress to dissolve into chaos. And leaving Zherron to try and clean it up.

He'd been happy, at least as far as the grim scientist felt emotion, to find a new body to dissect. He hadn't ever seen a humanoid like this, and he supposed she had interesting innards.

Reaching into his bag, Zherron brought out his surgical coveralls and face mask. The bloodstained coveralls he put on methodically, as he had done countless times before. The face mask, still speckled with flecks of indistinguishable black matter, was strapped on just as tightly and with even less emotion. But when he reached down to gather the final piece to his outfit, his fingers twitched slightly before they made contact with the cool metal of the bag handle. Had anyone living been present to witness the subtle gesture, they would have written it off as insignificant. But Zherron, who prided himself on being in absolute control, would not allow even such great excitement as a new specimen to cause him to loose his wits. He gripped the handle tighter to prevent any more unwanted actions and, after dismissing any lingering emotions for the final time, rounded the corner into the torture room to find...

Nothing. The female was gone. The straps were all opened, and there was no sign of her anywhere.

Zherron allowed himself one angry curse as he ripped off his face mask and coverall, for even his great self-control was not enough to conceal his disappointment in losing such an interesting subject. As he shoved the items back into his bag, he angrily pondered how he could have ever let himself hope for the dissecting to go as planned. Nothing had gone right since Ganondorf left, so why should this have been any different?

The scientist had just turned to leave when the chamber door slammed open and the second-most evil-looking man Zherron had ever seen stormed inside, a sword in his hand. He was clothed entirely in black, and his skin was a dark gray color. His greasy, messy black hair was mostly tucked into a shapeless hat. What struck Zherron most about the man were his glowing red eyes, which seemed to burn with a hate for the whole world and everything in it. He was covered in rock dust, and a few wounds and scrapes were oozing black blood.

He grabbed Zherron by the front of his shirt and lifted him into the air. "Where are they?" he snarled through clenched teeth. "Tell me and maybe I'll kill you quickly!"

"Wh-Who are you talking about?" Zherron struggled out, startled by the sheer violence of the newcomer's manner.

The black-garbed man's glowing red eyes burned with anger. "The witch and the old man! Where are they?" When he saw that Zherron obviously didn't know what he was talking about, he opened his hand and let the scientist collapse to the ground.

"This was where I left her, so how did she get out?" the strange man growled, apparently talking to himself. "That pathetic Hero was with me, so how did she escape?" He snapped his fingers. "The old man! He must have let her out. I'll have to see if I can find a way around his powers somehow."

He looked over at Zherron, as if remembering the pale little man was still here. "Who are you?"

Zherron stood and straightened his clothes. "I am Zherron, Lord Ganondorf's chief scientist."

The red-eyed man scoffed. "You might as well do whatever you want now. Ganon's dead." He imitated a sword thrust through his chest with his empty hand, rolling his eyes and sticking his tongue out grotesquely.

The scientist stood there for a moment in shock. He was hardly saddened to learn this, since the Dark Lord had not been the kindest of masters, but he had grown used to him, he supposed. He didn't even really remember what he had done before he started serving Ganondorf, it had been so long ago.

"So, you were one of old Ganon-dork's servants, eh? Do you know of any other lairs he had squirreled away?"

Zherron wondered why the unpleasant man was still talking to him. Perhaps if he answered his questions, the man would go away. "Yes, he had a few other fortresses that I know of."

The strange man seemed to ponder over this. "Ever been to any of 'em?"

"One, a long time ago," the scientist replied.

"Oh, yeah? Did it have any good stuff in it?" the evil-looking man said, seeming to be calming down now.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," said Zherron.

The man waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind. How do you get there?"

Zherron indicated the sword the man was still waving around. "That sword is the key. You get there from the chamber that was presumably in."

The man sheathed the Sword of Darkness and grabbed Zherron's arm. "Come on, then. You're going to show me how to get there."

Zherron looked up at him reluctantly. "I don't suppose I have a choice," he said resignedly.

The strange man chuckled nastily. "No, you don't."

Zherron sighed. One tyrannical master exchanged for another. At least it would give him something to do.

* * *

Zelda held one of her father's frail hands between hers. He gave no acknowledgment of her presence. His eyes were closed, and he breathed with a slow rhythm, his thin chest rising and falling. The King had once been tall, muscular, and handsome, but years of bad health and inactivity had reduced him to what he was now.

The Princess sighed deeply. She knew her father had not much longer to live, and she hated that she would have to leave him for any length of time. But, the current crisis demanded that she travel with the Hero to lend him the strength of her Triforce of Wisdom.

She looked at the marking on the back of her hand. How much of her personality was the Triforce, she wondered, and how much was her own experience? Zelda had been forced to grow up quickly, when her father's health started to fail and the young Princess had to assume more and more duties. She felt, sometimes, that she had never been a child, and had always had the mind-set of an adult. The Princess had been ruling by herself for almost three years now in her father's name.

Zelda sighed again. If she left her father behind, she might very well be legally Queen when she returned.

She gently kissed her father on the forehead and rose, crossing the room to the entrance of the Kokiri house, the owner of which had moved in with a friend after offering her dwelling to Hyrule's King.

Her father's chief steward, a man named Martyn, was waiting outside. "Your Highness," he said, "You may count on me to see to your father's every need while you are gone. I shall see that he is as comfortable as possible."

"Thank you, Martyn." She turned to leave, but he stopped her.

"Ah, one more thing, Princess. Would you like me to send a few servants along with you?"

"No, thank you. I will take care of myself." Zelda picked up the bag she had packed herself, consisting of sturdy traveling clothes and a few pieces of light armor she had borrowed. She had left the Castle with nothing but the clothes she had on and her sword, and almost nothing of hers had been brought by her father's servants.

The imperious little man seemed flustered. "B-but surely you will take someone to cook for you and look after your equipment! You are the Princess of Hyrule!"

Princess Zelda smiled faintly. "The journey I am about to undertake is not about me, Martyn. I am going along to support the Hero, and I do not need a servant to look after me. I thank you for offering."

"Very well then. But, please stay in contact. Everyone here will be worried about you." Martyn sighed. "And your group," he added hastily.

"Thank you, Martyn. Farewell."

"Farewell, Princess."

As Zelda walked to where Link and the others stood, she withdrew her black cloak with the Sheikah designs on it from her bag. It had been the one item of clothing belonging to her that had been brought along by the King's retinue, since she had left it in her father's chamber before the siege started.

She took off the brown cloak she had been wearing and drew the black one about her shoulders. Gathering up the brown cloak, she held it over one arm as she looked around for Arnak, the garment's probable original owner.

The big man was standing by himself outside the house formerly belonging to the Hero of Time. He was regarding some sort of drawing with amusement, a smile apparent on his face. He turned at her approach and bowed formally.

"Greetings, Princess Zelda," he said politely. "It seems we are to travel together in pursuit of the creature."

"Indeed, Arnak." She held the cloak out to him. "I believe this belongs to you."

She saw his eyes widen as he took the garment from her, turning it over in his hands to find the pocket sewn into the lining. He took out the picture it contained, gazing at it for a moment.

"Where did you get this?" he said quietly, a grateful look in his eyes.

"I believe you left it in Telma's Bar when the battle started. She gave the cloak to me on our journey here." She indicated the picture. "Is that your wife?"

"Yes," he said tersely. "Thank you for returning this to me." He abruptly turned and strode off, tucking the picture into one of his pockets.

Zelda immediately forgave him his rudeness. The memory of his wife's death must still be fresh in his mind, and he likely found it painful and saddening to think of her right now. Perhaps he would talk about it in the future.

She turned to see Link saying his goodbyes to the villagers from Ordon. The Mayor of the village, Bo, was rapping one of Link's shoulder pads with his knuckles.

"So how're they workin' for ya? They haven't cut out on ya, have they?" the older man was saying

"I've only used them once, but they seem to work all right," Link replied. "Thanks again, Bo."

"Hey, I wasn't usin' em. You're welcome to 'em."

The other villagers clustered around the Hero, wishing him a good journey and good luck. Ilia in particular seemed sad to see Link go, but more interesting was what the boy Colin said.

"Can I come with you, Link?" The boy seemed very serious, and he had a small bag slung over his shoulder, along with a wooden shield and an Ordon sword in proportion to his size.

Link looked down at Colin, his expression equally serious. "Have you talked about this with your parents?"

The boy nodded. "Mom doesn't really want me to go, but Dad says that it's up to you." He hefted his bag a little higher on his back.

The Hero looked up at Rusl. The Princess recognized the man from his days as a Hyrule soldier, when he had been one of the throne room guards. Zelda remembered him as a strong, loyal man, and most of the court who bothered to get to know the soldiers had been saddened when he left to go raise a family.

"If you are willing to take him along, Link, I would be honored to have you train him," said Rusl. The boy's mother, another child in her arms, looked sad and proud at the same time.

"It will be very dangerous where I am going," Link said to the family. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"We've talked it over," said Rusl, looking down at the boy. "Colin understands what it will be like, and he says he is willing to do whatever you tell him." He looked back up at Link. "He trusts you with his life, and so do I."

"I want to help you save Hyrule, Link!" Colin said. "I don't want to stay here in the forest, no matter how safe it is. I want to go with you!" The boy's earnestness was touching.

The Hero looked back at the group that was going with him in pursuit of the Antihero. "What do you all think?"

They all looked at each other for a few moments.

Majacen was the first to speak. "If the rest of you are willing, I will assist in the training of the child. Oftentimes, an innocent mind can see a solution that an experienced one may not."

Arnak was clearly wary of the situation, but he seemed thoughtful. "I will support whatever decision the rest of you make."

"Same here," said Raskys. "Just don't expect me to look after the kid all the time, if you do take him."

Both Erik and Shad didn't really have an opinion one way or the other, and remained silent.

"I don't know if this is such a good idea," said Midna. "What if we get into a battle? Somebody's going to have to look out for him."

Link looked at Zelda, silently asking for her opinion on the subject.

"It is your decision, Hero," she said simply. "You will be the one responsible for the boy."

The Hero was silent for a long moment.

"Okay," he said. "You can come. But stay close to me when anything dangerous happens."

"Thanks, Link." Colin looked up at the Hero. "I won't let you down."

"I think it is time we are going," said Majacen. He turned to the path out of the village and into the forest, starting along it. Most of the group followed him, checking their weapons and equipment one last time before they began the chase in earnest.

Only Link and Colin lingered a moment, saying their final farewells to the people of their village. As they turned to join the others, Ilia ran up and hugged both of them. Zelda was standing close enough to hear what she said.

"Come home safely." She looked at the Hero and the boy in turn. "Both of you."

The massed group of refugees saw them out, and cheered when Link stopped at the foliage barrier to give a final wave. He stepped through and joined the rest of them, and the Hero's Company began its journey.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to Silverwolf05 and Cloudrunner Sparty for their suggestions as I revised this chapter. The section from Zherron's point of view was reworked and improved at Silv's suggestion, and is in my opinion much better than the original version. Sparty provided the correct grammar for the Deku Tree's dialogue, which was... not correct originally. Much better now. Thanks as always to the readers and reviewers.


	12. The Creature of Shadow

Twelve

Viserys watched the Oocca flying castle from the bridge of _Falcon's Pride_, puzzling over what he had learned there. The rest of the fleet had been instructed to continue on with the mission; the flagship was going to stay with the flying fortress and salvage what they could. At best, they would be able to send a skeleton crew aboard and pilot the thing back to a base for study if they were able to understand it enough. They would probably have to end up towing the thing with _Falcon's Pride, _but Viserys was hoping to not have to do that, in case they ran into another fortress.

What he had learned aboard the fortress still nagged at his mind. Why had the survivor he had found told him so much about what had happened to them? Did it not recognize him as a human and an enemy? Or did it just want someone to know? Most of the time, the humans and Oocca did not fight face to face, usually exchanging shots between the ships in midair. But, the avian race almost certainly knew what their enemy looked like. So why had the Oocca told Viserys, an obvious human, about what had disabled its vessel?

Viserys turned at the sound of the bridge door opening to see Tyrone, the captain of _Falcon's Pride,_ enter.

"Admiral, one of the search teams found something you may want to take a look at."

"Did they bring it back?" Viserys asked as he started down the steps of the command platform.

"Yes, sir, it's in the hangar bay." Tyrone gestured at the bridge door with a gloved hand. "Philos can probably explain it."

"Very well, then. You have the bridge."

"Yes, sir." Tyrone mounted the steps of the command platform and asked for a status report as Viserys exited the bridge.

The Mercenary King strode down to the hangar bay, his questions still turning in his analytical mind. He passed several other fragments of wreckage that had been brought back and were on their way to be examined. He didn't stop to look at any of them, Philos' discovery being the most important matter for now.

He walked into the hangar bay to see several crew members wrestling with a giant crystal set into a metal pillar. The pilot of the transport, a woman with close-cropped blonde hair, was directing the removal, with several other crew members taking boxes of other artifacts out of the cargo area.

The pilot turned at Viserys' approach. "Ah, sir, you're here. Captain Tyrone said you might be interested in this."

Viserys gestured at the crystal. "What is it?"

The pilot shrugged. "We don't know, sir. It looks like a giant Communication Stone, but it seems to be more than that. Philos can probably tell you more about it."

Philos was Viserys' top scientist. He was able to understand complicated things very quickly, and he was also able to come up with complicated plans and designs with equal speed. For instance, the propeller system _Falcon's Pride_ was using had been Philos' idea. The scientist was short and somewhat rotund, with a carefully trimmed beard and short, bristly gray hair.

"Oh, Admiral!" Philos said excitedly, from behind a massive crate he was toting. "Come and have a look at this!" He handed the crate to one of the crew, and he and Viserys stepped over to the crystal.

It was spherical and multifaceted, with tendrils of metal covering the crystal like grasping tentacles. It was certainly grotesque, but didn't look like an Oocca design. It was almost too… evil-looking, Viserys thought. The crystal itself was rather large, and with the pillar supporting it, it sat at about the level of Viserys' chest.

"I found it in a room under the control room," Philos said, adjusting his glasses with one hand as he gestured to the crystal. "There wasn't anything else like it in the ship that I saw, so I decided to bring it back. I hope that is all right, sir? It didn't seem dangerous."

"If it is, it's going overboard," Viserys replied. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked closer at the crystal. "Now, what is this thing, Philos?"

"It appears to be a gigantic Communication Stone, sir, but something about this pillar and the room it was in makes me suspect it serves another purpose." Philos stopped and peered closer at part of the crystal, rubbing at it with his fingers. He seemed to be absorbed in examining the crystal, and apparently forgot Viserys was standing there.

"Philos," Viserys said patiently. He was used to the scientist drifting off in the middle of sentences when he thought something was interesting. It was certainly irritating, but there was really nothing he could do about it.

The scientist jumped slightly before remembering what he was doing. "Oh, right. Well, the room it was in was closed off, and it didn't seem to have an entrance. I only noticed it because the gouge that passes through the central part of the fortress had sheared open part of the wall. I happened to catch sight of it as I was going through the hallway, and I went inside to take a look.

"It was very dark in the small room, and the only illumination came from the hole in the wall. There was nothing else in the room except for the pillar and the crystal, and I must have examined it for close to an hour before one of the other search teams came along.

"Since they were all fairly muscular types, I removed the pillar from the floor with their assistance. It's on threads, you see, like a screw." He gestured down at the bottom of the pillar. "We brought it back to the ship, and I was hoping to take it to my laboratory and examine it further." Philos stopped talking and gestured at a few crew members to come and lift the thing.

Viserys stopped them with another gesture, catching hold of Philos' arm with his other hand. "Philos, you still haven't told me exactly what you think it is."

The scientist blinked in surprise. "I haven't? Oh. I think it's some sort of mind-control device." Philos said this so casually that Viserys almost didn't think he heard him correctly.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, it was sealed off from the rest of the vessel, which is odd for a Communication Stone, and it's rather large for one, too, don't you think? You usually don't see them this big. Plus, it's damaged, as you can see on this side." Philos pointed at a section of the crystal where it looked like shrapnel had hit it and sheared part of it off. "Also, we have found a few more survivors, and all of them seem more confused than they should be, even with them having drifted here all the way from Hyrule, pinned under wreckage. Some of them were babbling nonsense, and others seemed to not recognize us, and acted rather friendly, oddly. I thought it very strange."

Viserys gripped his hands together behind his back, analyzing what he knew and comparing it with this new information. "In all our battles with them, they have moved very precisely. I had thought this the result of highly disciplined training, but now that you mention mind control, it does make sense. This may give us a valuable advantage, if we can find a way to damage or disable these crystals in the future. Where, exactly, was this room?"

Philos described its location as best he could.

"After you study this crystal, I want you to find a way to pinpoint this location on all other fortresses. Work with the gunners to find a way to quickly and accurately fire a concentrated barrage there. If this really does guide or control the minds of the enemy somehow, it should throw them into confusion and give us a greater advantage in battle."

"Yes, sir, right away!" Philos was obviously excited, and he hurried off to his shipboard laboratory, followed by the crew members toting the crystal.

Viserys left the hangar, bound for his quarters. Much of what was just said was pure assumption, and it would take much further study and experimentation to prove it true. But, if it was true, it meant that there was some controlling influence on the Oocca at least part of the time. Who, or what, was in control, if this was the case?

Viserys frowned as he walked, thinking that every time he discovered something about his mysterious enemy, more questions were raised.

He arrived at his quarters and told one of his aides to alert him when the Oocca survivors were brought over. He would be wanting to question all of them, in case one of them was able to confirm Philos' theory.

In his office space, he pulled a thick book off the shelf, in which he was recording his findings about his enemy. He wrote down Philos' theory about mind control, and a quick drawing of the pillar and crystal, for later reference.

He flipped through the book, perusing what he had already written and drawn inside. He had recorded much, but he still felt that he knew little about his enemy. What if there _was_ some controlling influence governing the actions of the Oocca through crystals like these? Viserys didn't know of anyone or anything that powerful, or even if such a thing was possible.

On the other hand, it could all be coincidence, and the crystal could serve some other function. It was too soon to tell.

The Mercenary King closed the book. When the time came, he would find the answers and secrets that would let him defeat his enemy, and he would exploit them to the full.

* * *

Colin had never been happier in his life that he could remember. He was finally going on a real adventure with Link, his hero. Well, he was really everyone's Hero, wasn't he? He'd been Colin's hero first, at any rate.

As the boy looked up at the group of warriors he was traveling with, he was awed to be there. All of them looked almost as tough as Link, even the two girls. Colin still couldn't believe he was traveling with Princess Zelda, the ruler of all of Hyrule and Bearer of Wisdom. All three of the Triforce bearers were in one place, all working together, actually. Majacen had told him that it was unprecedented, then explained what 'unprecedented' meant. Colin was suitably impressed.

The Hero's Company was in the Gerudo Desert, walking through the burning sand to the pyramid where the Antihero was. Colin couldn't remember ever being this hot before, even in the warmest parts of the Ordon summer. And there were no trees anywhere, just sand dunes and rock spires.

Colin had never seen anything this desolate in his entire life. In fact, before he had been kidnapped with the other children almost a year ago, the boy had never been farther north than the southern part of Faron Woods. He still went back to Kakariko occasionally with Malo, so Malo could check on his store and Colin could visit Renado and Luda. He hoped their village hadn't been attacked, too.

He looked over at the Sheikah warrior named Erik, who had magically transported them here. Colin remembered the discussion that had taken place after they left the Kokiri village, as they walked through the forest. The boy was still trying to figure out all that had been said.

First, Majacen had explained what the Deku Tree had said before they left. Colin hadn't really understood most of it, but what he did know was that Hyrule was not the only world the Goddesses had created, and there were at least three others connected to it, if not more. Majacen had said they were: the Twilight Realm, where Midna was apparently from, a place called Termina that Majacen didn't know much about, and an underwater world the wizard only knew about from legends. The portal chamber in Ganon's pyramid went to one of these, and they needed to stop the Antihero from going through the portal, in case they were unable to follow him.

Link had asked the wizard why the chamber the Sword of Darkness had been found in looked like the final room of the Sacred Grove. Colin didn't know exactly what any of these terms meant, but he listened intently, so he could learn.

"There was once a great portal network," the wizard replied, "and thousands of years ago, trade between the worlds was common. Rooms like those are found all over the world, but only a Sword of the Gods can activate them. It was considered a great honor to bear one of these swords." Majacen gestured at Link and Midna. "I see you have two of these."

Midna looked down at the Twilight Blade. "So that's what this thing is. What are the Swords of the Gods? And why does the room in the Temple of Time only activate a staircase to the rest of the temple?"

Majacen had gestured at the path through the woods. "I will be happy to explain everything to you at a later time. I request your patience, as our time at this moment is rather limited, and we must return to the desert as soon as we can."

Raskys had sighed and asked Majacen if they really had to be teleported back to the desert.

"You are welcome to walk," the wizard had said with a twinkle in his eye, "though the rest of us will likely be gone when you arrive."

"All right, fine," said the ranger, sighing. "Snap your fingers or wave your hand or whatever, and let's get it over with."

"I am actually going to leave that duty to our Sheikah friend," Majacen replied. "I assume one of the portals the Hero and the Twilight Princess made can take us close enough to the pyramid to get us there in time?"

"There's the one we used to get there before we met you," said Midna. "I would take us there, but you know, Nemo stole my powers and all."

"We'll get the Fused Shadows back, Midna. Until then, don't worry about it. We're still happy to have you along," Link said. "Most of the time." He grinned at his friend and comically feigned injury when she punched his arm, smiling herself.

Colin was glad that Link had such a close friend, since the young man had mostly kept to himself back in Ordon. He just wished he knew who she was. Nobody had really explained to Colin exactly who Midna was yet. All he knew was that she was from the Twilight Realm, whatever that was, and she had traveled with Link at some point on his previous journey to save the country.

The giant man named Arnak had asked Majacen a question. "Why do you not transport us to the pyramid yourself? You brought us to the forest."

Majacen smiled to himself as he tugged on the end of his long beard. "That particular ability of mine takes quite a bit of energy, I'm afraid, and I'm not as young as I used to be. Also, the Deku Tree has increased his protection around the forest, and that means magic doesn't work as well here. Since warping using the Twilight Portals requires little magic energy on the part of the user, Erik can take us to the desert without too much trouble once we get far enough from the village."

"I suppose it's rather lucky you have that then, eh?" said Shad, pointing at the glowing blue marking on the back of Erik's hand.

"I suppose," said the Sheikah. "We are on the edge of the Deku Tree's protection now." He waved everyone closer to him, and they gathered around. "Ready?" he said. Everyone except Colin nodded, since he hadn't really understood most of the conversation, but nobody seemed to notice.

The group had seemed to dissolve into black squares, and there had been a sense of lifting upwards, before they re-formed next to a rock outcropping in the desert. Colin had been disoriented by the suddenness of it, but Link had helped him, saying that he had done this many times before.

Now they were walking through the desert, and Colin still didn't really know exactly what was going on, but he didn't really care, because he was sure Link and the others knew what they were doing, and that was good enough for him.

* * *

Rusl watched his son step through the forest barrier with Link, and he felt a hand pat his shoulder. He turned to see Telma standing next to him.

"It's hard to let them go, isn't it?"

Rusl put his arm around his wife and looked down at his daughter. "It is, but I'm glad he's with Link. I know he'll keep Colin out of trouble."

"I think it'll be the other way around," Telma said, smiling. Rusl and Uli had to smile at that, also.

Auru and Ashei came over to the little group, packs slung over their shoulders.

"Mean to go after them, do you?" Telma said to the two.

"Nope. They got enough people with them, yeah? We're headed for Snowpeak. Auru says he found something interesting in the map of the ruins Link gave him." Ashei gestured with an armored hand as she spoke.

Rusl looked up at her. "What were those ruins, anyway? There aren't any settlements in that mountain range that I know of."

"I don't know," the young warrior woman replied. "I thought about going there after he told me about them, but I didn't. Link didn't give me a map to the ruins, he just told me they were there. He's kind of a strange guy, yeah?"

"Link never was very open about his adventures," Auru said. "We still don't know exactly what he found at the Arbiter's Grounds or the City in the Sky."

"Not to mention the Sacred Grove," Rusl added. "He asked for help to get back there, but he never told me why, other than the Golden Cucco was helpful to him. I suppose we all had other things on our mind back then."

"Sure we did, but we still should have asked Link more about what he was doing," said Telma. "All of Hyrule knows his name, but nobody seems to know him as a person very well, except for that Midna woman. Who was she, anyway?" Telma leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "I thought I heard someone say she was from the Twilight Realm! How did Link get mixed up with someone like that?"

"She seemed nice to me," said Uli. "Though I do wish Link had introduced her to us. He seems so different now, almost like he's not the same boy we knew in Ordon." Rusl nodded. He'd been thinking mostly the same thing.

"Still, it's Link's business what he does, and he doesn't have to explain himself to us," Auru reminded them. "Now, Ashei and I are going to be leaving soon, and we were wondering if any of you wanted to join us."

Telma shook her head, her intricately braided hair swinging with the movement. "Snowpeak's too cold for me. Besides, somebody has to look after all these people, since the Princess left. Between us, I don't especially think some people are going to listen to a talking tree, no matter how wise it is."

Rusl looked back at the members of his family that were still in the village. "I would go with you, but I need to stay with Uli and the baby right now. I've spent enough time away in the last year as it is."

"Thank you," Uli said quietly. Rusl smiled at her in reply.

Ashei nudged Auru with her elbow. "See, I told you neither of them would go with us. Maybe we can get that Ivan fellow to send a couple of his men, yeah? Snowpeak's too dangerous to attempt with just two people."

"Perhaps. We shall go talk to him, then. Goodbye for now." Auru and Ashei walked off to where the grizzled warrior Ivan and his men had set up a small camp.

"Well, I'm off, too. I have to try and get these people organized somehow." Telma left, her cat walking beside her.

Uli shifted their daughter on her hip. The bright-eyed little girl was looking around, smiling and cooing happily. "I wonder how the Gorons are faring?" she said. "I hadn't heard of anything happening in the Eldin lands, but the Gorons that were with Princess Zelda's group left in quite a hurry."

"I don't know. I don't think we're going to have much contact with the outside world for a while." Rusl looked around the forest village and the tree barrier that surrounded it.

This place reminded him somewhat of Ordon. He was saddened that his village had been destroyed, but none of the villagers had been killed, and their homes could be rebuilt after the crisis was over. It would be hard work, but they were strong people, and he knew they could do it.

Rusl was confident that Link would find a way to defeat the invaders. He was a Hero, part of a fine tradition spanning at least two thousand years to the dawn of Hyrulean recorded history, when the First Hero had liberated humankind from a powerful oppressor.

As he and his wife strolled through the now-busy Kokiri village, Rusl thought more about the First Hero. That title was all Rusl knew about the man, other than what he had accomplished, and even that was blurred by time and debated by historians. Rusl remembered some conversations between some of the keepers of the castle archives from his days as a Hyrule soldier, and how fiercely they would argue on the subject.

All the Heroes afterward seemed to model themselves on the template of the First Hero, specifically wearing green and seeking to bear the Master Sword with which to battle their foes. Some historians insisted that the First Hero had not used the Master Sword, and it had come into the legends later.

Each Hero was known by a different designation, such as 'Hero of Fire' or 'Hero of Time', with the First Hero being known only by that title. His name, and indeed most of his story, was lost to history. Recent Heroes, such as the Hero of Time, were better documented, though not much was known about their personal lives, either.

Rusl felt privileged to know the current Hero personally, and looking back, he had somehow always known that Link was destined to be a great warrior. From the first time he had asked Rusl to teach him to use a sword, the boy had shown amazing natural skill with a blade, advancing faster than Rusl himself had at that age.

He and Uli passed by the house that was said to have once belonged to the Hero of Time. It was still amazing to Rusl that a structure so old appeared to be so new. He wondered if Link's house would be preserved like this after the Hero of Light moved on.

Rusl shook his head as they continued their walk, surprised at his own sentimentality.

"What are you thinking about?" Uli asked him as they made their way back to where they were staying.

"The Heroes. It's comforting, isn't it? To know that the Goddesses choose warriors to protect their creation?"

"It is," she agreed, "but I wish life didn't have to be so dangerous for Link. It's good to know that he has others to help him now, and that they all will be watching out for Colin." She sighed. "I knew he couldn't stay with us forever, but he still seems too young and innocent to be off without us on a dangerous quest."

Rusl put his arm around his wife again and looked into her eyes. "Well, it's like we agreed before Colin left. He's as old now as some of the Heroes are said to have been when they went on their quests. I think he can handle whatever the Hero's Company encounters, and also, he has the Three Bearers with him. I don't think he could have better protectors."

She smiled faintly. "You're right. I just hope he comes home safely."

"He will," Rusl said. "I'm sure of it."

* * *

Link looked down at the pyramid complex, wondering what he would find inside this time. It hadn't been that long since the last time he was here, but he had already added it to his internal list of ancient buildings he hoped to never see again. One of the many things he'd never told anyone but Midna was that he didn't really like old, abandoned structures like Shad did. Every one he'd been to, he'd had to fight some monstrous, powerful creature -sometimes more than one- and survive a number of booby traps. This ruin was not an exception.

Shad was, of course, excited about the pyramid complex, and had been asking Majacen questions about the Zuna and what was inside.

"We are shortly going to find out, young sir, and I daresay you might not like it once we do," the wizard replied.

Arnak started over the natural rock wall that separated the complex from the rest of the desert, followed by the other members of the Company. Link climbed over, also, but he suddenly got the feeling that he was being watched. As he swung his legs over the outcropping, he saw a reflection flash on a nearby mesa, as if someone was using a telescope up there to observe the area.

He pulled out his Hawkeye and zoomed in on the mesa, but the sun was in front of him and the glare and the heat mirage prevented him from seeing anything but some vague silhouettes. There was definitely a group of people up on there, but he couldn't tell more than that.

"Hey, Link!" he heard Midna call to him. "What's the holdup?" He silently motioned her upwards, and heard her grunt of annoyance. "I can't fly anymore, you know."

"I think there's someone watching us on that mesa over there." He pointed, and the Hero's Company gathered around at his words, breaking out their own magnification devices to look for themselves.

Still looking, Link saw the shapes move off out of sight, as if they knew they had been seen.

"The more we linger here, the more likely it is that the creature will escape us," said Arnak. "If the watchers choose to follow us into the pyramid, we will deal with them there."

Midna turned to him. "Why are you so impatient?"

"Because," the big man said irritably, "the sooner we deal with the Antihero, the sooner we can find a way to stop the Oocca. They are the greater threat."

"Arnak is right." Majacen gestured at the door to the pyramid. "We must hurry before the creature activates the portal." He started for the door.

Following him, the rest of the Company hurried for the entrance, their footsteps kicking up sand as they ran. Arnak opened the door and they all dashed inside, the Hero and the Twilight Princess in the lead.

Link and Midna drew their swords as soon as they were inside the pyramid, and they both noticed that the glow was dim, at the normal level for the weapons.

"Do you remember the way to the portal room?" Midna asked him. "Nemo took so many twists and turns that I'm not sure."

Link nodded. "I think so. Remember, these swords glow brighter the closer we are to him." He opened the first familiar door and they went through.

"That's right!" Midna said as the group increased speed, opening doors along the way. "Maybe Mr. Wizard back there will tell us why that is, if we can ever stop running around long enough for him to explain things."

The Hero's Company ran through the corridors of the pyramid, using the glow from the Master Sword and Twilight Blade to guide them. It was sometimes difficult for them to all stay together, since Colin and Shad couldn't run as fast as the rest of the group, but sooner than Link expected, they came upon the Antihero and a small, grim-looking man walking through a passage.

"You!" Nemo snarled, drawing his sword. Link heard someone gasp in fright behind him, but he couldn't tell who it was.

Link glanced back long enough to wave Colin out of the way. He didn't want the boy anywhere near the creature. Raskys nodded and drew his sword, moving in front of the boy. The Hero touched one of the jewels on his belt and switched to the Magic Armor, knowing a fight was coming.

"Brought some more friends, eh?" Nemo said nastily, as he slowly stalked closer to Link. "The more, the merrier, I suppose."

Midna scoffed disgustedly. "That's the best line you can come up with? You sure don't have much of an imagination."

"Shut up, witch!" the Antihero growled at her. "I've got your powers, remember? You know what I can to do to you."

Midna seemed unconcerned. "Sure, I do. But, an interesting thing about the Fused Shadows; you have to concentrate to use them. They're really hard to use if there's too many…_distractions_!" Midna leaped at the Antihero as she said the last word, and the other members took this as their cue to attack.

Nemo ducked under Midna's first swing, slashing at her back. Zelda blocked the strike with her sword. Link noticed the grim little man start to draw off, but Nemo waved at him quickly and he collapsed to the floor, a surprised expression on his face. Arnak kicked the creature in the chest as he turned back around, and he fell to the ground, rolling away from the big man's sword thrust. However, Nemo rolled right into Erik's legs, and he grabbed his arm and held him as Midna stabbed downward with her own sword.

The Antihero slashed up, and Midna turned her stab into a block with the Twilight Blade, a flash of light resulting from the two powerful swords connecting. Nemo rolled away and leaped to his feet, slashing the air to send a red wave of power out of the Sword of Darkness at the group.

Majacen stepped in front of them and held out his sword, parts of the ornate engraving on it glowing white as a barrier appeared in front of them and blocked the attack. Link heard Nemo growl in frustration again.

A small chunk of stone bounced off of the Antihero's head, and a few of the Company turned to see Colin stooping down to pick up another rock, still standing mostly behind Raskys. The ranger had put away his sword and now had his bow drawn and an arrow ready, looking for an opportunity.

Midna took advantage of Nemo's momentary distraction to tackle him, and she punched him in the jaw several times before stabbing downward again. He tried to roll to avoid it, but the strike caught him in the shoulder and he cried out in pain. He backhanded Midna across the face with his other arm, and she flew backwards into the other wall of the corridor, unable to block in time.

Link and Arnak next attacked the creature at almost the same time, and a short, heated duel between Nemo and the two began. All three combatants moved faster than normal humans could have, and the other members of the Company stepped back for a few moments, so as not to get hit by one of the wild sword strikes.

Nemo moved the Sword of Darkness so fast that it sometimes appeared he had several arms wielding several swords, and he blocked each slash and strike by Link and Arnak.

The two warriors moved almost in unison, the Triforce symbols on their hands glowing brightly as they drew power from their pieces of the holy relic. Where one of them would attack, the other would move to the opposite side of the creature and attack there, and it soon became obvious to both men that even Nemo with all his newfound power would not be able to withstand them for long. The flashes of light and discharges of power resulting whenever the Master Sword met the Sword of Darkness danced around the stretch of hallway in which the duel raged, dazzling the eyes of everyone who was watching.

Midway through the fight, Nemo faltered once, and Arnak scored a hit on the Antihero's back as Nemo tried to twist out of the way. This seemed to enrage the creature, and he went on the offensive, actually managing to drive the two men back with the sheer ferocity of his attacks.

Then the third Triforce Bearer entered the fray.

Princess Zelda threw off her cloak and circled around behind Nemo, attacking him from the back with her rapier. She succeeded in stabbing him, but he moved too quickly for the thrust to penetrate very far. Nemo turned around and swung blindly with both hands on his weapon, but the princess blocked the strike, the strain apparent on her face. Link was surprised that her thin sword didn't snap from the force of the blow, but apparently Zelda's weapon was of extremely high quality. Her sword also stayed in her hands. Link's respect for the princess went up a notch.

Nemo started moving even faster than before, his red eyes glowing brightly as he now fought three opponents at once. He seemed to be drawing deeply from whatever energy was fueling his superhuman exertions, and the gem on his sword shone like a blood-red sun, tracing a fiery path through the air as he moved his weapon with furious speed.

The Triforce symbols on all three Bearers shone equally brightly as they attacked the creature, the three truly moving as one. It almost seemed to them that they were one being in three bodies, the Zelda-part of the mind advising where to strike, the Arnak-part supplying the strength for the strikes, and the Link-part giving them the will to go on.

Nemo was unable to withstand the onslaught, and the final blow came when Midna joined the Three Bearers for the last round of strikes. The Twilight Princess had the last hit, the Twilight Blade finally penetrating Nemo's defenses and sinking into his side.

The creature dropped his sword and collapsed to the ground, groaning. The four stood there for a few moments, breathing heavily as they looked down at their opponent.

"That was…unusual," Arnak said. "I do not believe I have experienced anything quite like that before."

"Me, neither," said Link. He switched back to his normal Hero's Clothes, feeling the weight of his Magic Armor vanish from his tired muscles.

Majacen pulled the little man that had been with Nemo to his feet. "Who are you, and what were you doing with the creature?" he asked sternly.

The little man straightened his clothes, scowling at the gathered heroes. "I am Zherron, Lord Ganondorf's chief scientist. This creature had pressed me into service and I thank you for freeing me. I will be going now."

Midna stopped him by blocking his path with her sword, frowning. "Hold on a minute, you. You said you're a scientist, and you used to work for Ganon in this place?"

Zherron seemed nervous, shifting under her stare and not meeting her eyes. Link wondered what this meant. "Yes, that's correct."

Midna bent down closer to glare into his face. "Did you put me on that table?" she said quietly, clearly already suspecting the answer.

He winced. "Yes."

Midna straightened. She seemed very calm, for some reason. "Why?" she said patiently. Link knew trouble was coming. He knew her well enough to know that.

"I was planning… I was planning to… dissect you," Zherron practically whispered, obviously uncomfortable.

"Hmm. Interesting." Lightning quick, her arm snaked out and struck Zherron on the jaw. He started to fall, but she grabbed him by the collar and hauled him upright again. "That was for even _thinking_ about doing that to me. You're lucky that's all I'm going to do to you right now." She shoved him toward Erik. "He's coming with us. Watch him." The Sheikah warrior nodded silently.

"Now what?" Raskys spoke up. "What are we going to do with Tall, Dark and Evil here?" He kicked Nemo in the leg to punctuate his question.

"I've got an answer to that one, too," said Midna. "I say we take him with us, until we find somewhere to stick him. _After_ we get all of the things he's stolen. Does anyone know how to do that?"

Nemo had been subtly inching his hand towards the Sword of Darkness throughout the conversation, and now he seized it, his regenerative powers having healed him just enough to act. Before any of the Company registered what had happened, he jumped up, seized Zherron around the neck with his arm, and slashed down with his sword, striking the ground. Both of them disappeared in a flash of red light.

Majacen instantly closed his eyes and appeared to be concentrating intently. "He didn't go far; he was severely weakened by the fight. He's less than half a mile away. If we hurry, we might be able to catch him!"

Link saw Midna glare at Erik as they all turned and ran once again, headed for the entrance this time. The Sheikah either didn't see her or just didn't acknowledge her irritated look.

They moved a little slower this time. Most of them, the Three Bearers especially, had spent most of their energy in the intense fight. The Hero's Company reached the entrance of the pyramid in a matter of minutes, and Arnak opened the door again.

When they stepped out into the desert sunlight and the door closed behind them, several piles of sand erupted into robed and hooded humanoid shapes, scimitars or bows held in their hands. At a high, ululating call from one of them, almost a dozen more emerged from shadows and behind fallen pillars, weapons in their hands, also. A hail of rocks hit all of the members on their hands and heads, causing most of them to drop their weapons to shield themselves from the barrage.

The one that had made the call brandished its scimitar and waved its gloved empty hand upward, the meaning clear.

"Come on, we can take 'em!" Raskys whispered, starting to bend down to pick up his sword.

Majacen gestured for the Company to not try to retrieve their weapons. "We are clearly outnumbered," he said loudly. "We have no choice but to surrender." Only Link seemed to catch the quick wink the wizard sent his way.

The Hero's Company raised their hands, hoping the old wizard knew what he was doing.

* * *

Revision Note: I fixed some more stuff, improving dialogue, correcting grammar errors, and generally making it easier to read. Thanks for reading!


	13. Captured in the Desert

Thirteen

Arnak stood with his hands in the air, glaring at the back of Majacen's head. Moments earlier, the old wizard had insisted that the Hero's Company surrender to a group of desert people who were swathed in tan and brown robes and cloaks, their faces hidden and weapons in their hands.

The one who seemed to be the leader stalked toward them, a lithe grace apparent in the way the warrior moved. Arnak thought that the person was probably female under all the wrappings. Come to think of it, all of the mysterious robed figures seemed to be women.

His guess about the leader was proved when she uttered several words in an unmistakably female voice. Arnak didn't understand the language, but the tone was not threatening, as opposed to the scimitar she held at the ready. The woman repeated the phrase, walking right up to Arnak and poking him in the chest with a gloved finger.

"I'm sorry," he said in Hylian. "I don't understand you."

"That is all right, Giant," the woman replied in the same language. "I understand you perfectly." The words were clear, but with an accent that clipped the words, as if she was accustomed to speaking more quickly in her native tongue. "Gather their weapons," she said to two of the nearby desert people. They moved to obey, picking up the weapons that had been dropped and taking the ones that had not.

She circled around behind Arnak and poked him in the back with the pommel of her scimitar. "Why were you in the Accursed One's pyramid, Giant?"

The big man thought for a few moments before responding. He wondered why the desert warrior had decided that he was the leader of their group. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure which of them was the leader of the Hero's Company. He supposed that it could have been Link, but Majacen seemed to know more than he was letting on, and the old wizard sometimes made decisions without consulting the rest of them. Midna certainly gave orders often enough, and while Princess Zelda would have been justified in doing so, she hadn't said much since they had started their journey.

"I know you have a tongue, Giant." He was poked again. "Use it."

Arnak stopped himself from releasing an annoyed sigh. "We were in pursuit of an evil creature that was inside." He turned to look at the hooded woman behind him. He could see a proud fierceness in her bright green eyes, but most of her face was covered by a scarf. "We are still pursuing the creature, and you are holding us up." He smiled, displaying his teeth in a not-quite-threatening grin. "We would appreciate it if you let us go."

"Ha!" She lowered her scimitar. "You will be coming with us, and you will leave at a time of _my_ choosing, not yours. As for your creature, is it a foul-looking man, clothed all in black, accompanied by another ugly little man?"

"Yes." Majacen still had his hands in the air, like the rest of them, but he waved at the rock wall behind him. "Time is somewhat short for our group, and we need to catch the creature before he escapes."

"Your creature is not going anywhere. My warriors have captured him and his companion already." She produced a Gossip Stone and spoke several words of her language into it. She was answered by another female voice, unhurried and even somewhat amused.

The desert warrior sheathed her scimitar, the blade disappearing beneath her swirling robes. "Your monster is unconscious, and his companion surrendered immediately. We are taking all of you to our camp. Come, and do not put up a fight. I do not wish to harm any of you." She patted Colin on the head as she passed him, and the boy flinched, looking at Link. The Hero shrugged minutely and whispered for Colin to be patient.

"I warn you to not underestimate the creature," Majacen said as he put his hands down, and the rest of the group slowly lowered theirs, also. "He has several magical objects in his possession, and he is extremely powerful."

"We know of the power he is using, and we have ways around it." The warrior would say no more after that, and she gestured for them to get moving. Most of her warriors still had their weapons drawn, and the desert sun flashed off the polished blades.

The group of female warriors led them around the massive pyramid and through the rest of the complex, all of them watching the Company closely.

Raskys slowly moved up next to Arnak. "Why do you think Majacen had us surrender?" he murmured, barely moving his lips. Their group of warriors had practiced inconspicuous communication, and Raskys was one of the better ones at it.

Arnak scratched his cheek to cover his reply. "Perhaps he did not wish to fight these people." Their footsteps crunching through the sand and gravel masked the low tone of his voice, and both of them made sure none of their guards were close enough to discern they were talking before they responded.

"That's true. We don't know how many of them there are. They could have been hiding anywhere." Raskys surreptitiously flexed his wrist to show Arnak that he still had a dagger up his sleeve. The big man nodded, making it look like he was stretching his neck.

One of the warriors looked at them suspiciously, so they stopped and gradually drifted away from each other. Arnak knew that he could always turn into a bear, if the situation became especially desperate. But, he didn't want to give away that ability until he had to. If he remembered correctly, the Hero had the ability to turn into a wolf, so the two of them could work together in that respect. He knew Zelda had said she knew of no such ability of her own, but he wondered if it might be possible. He still didn't know what, exactly, made him transform, just that he could.

After a while, they came to the edge of the pyramid complex, which contained more buildings than Arnak had thought. He wondered what else the ancient structures hid. A massive stone staircase lead up out of the complex to the rest of the desert, but most of it was buried in sand. Obviously, this place had been abandoned for quite a while.

The Hero's Company and their captors proceeded out of the complex and into a stretch of empty desert not accessible from the area of the Great Western Desert they had teleported into. He could still see the tall pillars of the place known as the Arbiter's Grounds, and the coliseum-like structure of the main prison. From what he knew of the place, it was not a pleasant experience to be inside. The prison had been abandoned for decades, and all manner of ghastly creatures threatened the interior, as well as the decaying structure, parts of which threatened to collapse at any moment. Arnak hoped it was not their destination, and was mildly relieved when their path turned away from the abandoned prison.

When they had walked for about an hour, a group of tents came into view. Sand piled against some of them, indicating that they had been here for a while. The tents were all large and round, with a long pole holding up the middle of the roof, giving the top of the tents a slant to keep sand off of them. A bonfire crackled at the center of the group of tents, and more robed figures moved back and forth through the camp, toting buckets and bundles. Several horses were tied to posts driven into the ground, as well as a few camels.

Their captors herded them into one of the largest tents, and the leader followed them in, with two of the warriors. She motioned them to sit, and the members of the Company sat on the floor. There was little furniture inside the tent, only a bed and a weapons rack. Woven rugs and animal skins covered the floor, and also a few items of clothing, some of which had clear bloodstains.

The leader of the desert warriors removed the scarf covering her face and swept off her tan-and-brown cloak, hanging it over the weapons rack. Her skin was dark and her hair was a bright shade of red, worn long and intricately braided. She was dressed in loose pants and boots, with a jeweled buckle on her belt, and wore only a wide, angularly patterned strip of cloth to cover her chest, which left her muscled arms and abdomen bare. Her eyes were a bright green, and her gaze examined each member in turn as she pulled off her gloves and removed her sword belt. She wore little ornamentation, save a jewel on her forehead and an engraved armband on her left arm.

She walked over to Link and folded her arms over her chest. "You are the Hero of the Hylians at this time?"

He met her piercing gaze unflinchingly. "I am. My name is Link."

"I am Nabooru," the warrior replied. "I am named for my ancestress, a Sage of Spirit. I believe she knew one of your predecessors."

"You are Gerudo, then?" Shad asked. "I thought they all disappeared after Ganondorf was captured."

Suddenly, Nabooru struck the scholar across the face with the back of her hand. "You will not speak the Accursed One's name in my presence, rat!" she said through clenched teeth. "He has lost the right to bear it!" Arnak was surprised at her sudden change in mood.

Shad shrank back from her angry glare, straightening his glasses. "I-I'm sorry. Please accept my sincerest apologies."

"Be silent! Your whining voice assaults my ears like the blowing sand. Do not speak to me again unless I speak to you first!" She turned to Arnak, visibly attempting to calm herself. "Now," she said in a much more pleasant tone, "Explain to me exactly why your group is in our desert. First, tell me your names." Nabooru sat down on the floor across from Arnak, folding her legs and resting her hands on her knees.

"I am Arnak, son of Tyraj." He indicated the other members of the group as he spoke their names. "These are Link, the Hero, Majacen, a wizard, Raskys, a ranger, Erik, a Sheikah warrior," -Nabooru's eyes narrowed as he mentioned the Sheikah, but she said nothing, so he continued- "Shad, a scholar, Midna, a priestess, Colin, son of Rusl, and Mara, another Sheikah warrior." Arnak thought it wise to not reveal Princess Zelda's identity, so he gave her the first woman's name that came to mind, that of his wife. Also, he decided against revealing Midna's true identity. He was unsure of how the Gerudo would react.

"As we explained, we were pursuing the creature you said you captured. He has several powerful magical objects we are trying to retrieve, including the Triforce of Shadow forged by the man you call the Accursed One."

Nabooru heaved an angry sigh, clenching her fists. "I have heard of this relic. The Accursed One has several times returned to our people, promising to lead us to power. The last time he appeared to us, he mentioned that he had devised a way to control the Hylian magic known as the Triforce. Most of us were unwilling to listen, since his schemes have ruined us in the past. He grew very angry and destroyed the city, killing many." She scoffed bitterly. "He was hoping to scare the Gerudo into helping him, but the Accursed One had spent too long away from the people that birthed him. His actions only strengthened our resolve to stay away from the land of Hyrule." She obviously felt very strongly about what she had just said, and Arnak decided to avoid bringing up Ganon whenever possible.

The Gerudo woman stood. "I have much to discuss with my warriors. You will stay here until I return." She spoke to the two other Gerudo warriors in the tent rapidly in their language, making a circling motion with one hand briefly. She and the two guards went outside.

Arnak assumed that she had told them to surround the tent and watch for any escapees. Since they were in a desert that was bare for miles around, and these people lived their whole lives here, Arnak decided against any escape attempts. Nabooru didn't seem openly hostile to them, and he had no desire to kill any of these people at this time.

If they threatened the other members of the Company, however, that would quickly change.

* * *

Strange dreams disturbed Viserys' sleep that night. He kept dreaming that he was flying through the air without a ship under him, and when he looked down at his dream self, he was covered in feathers. He saw through birds' eyes, his vision zooming in on distant points better than the finest telescope.

The Mercenary King discovered that in the dream, he could look around, but he could not control the actions of his dream self. He struggled mightily, but he felt a subtle controlling force at the back of his mind. The more he struggled against it, the less he was able to control his actions, and the more uncomfortable he felt.

His dream self swooped toward a long, angular shape, which looked like a gigantic bird of prey with a streamlined body, outstretched wings and propellers for feet. As he flew closer, Viserys could see railings and portholes, and more propellers under and above the bird-shaped vessel. He began to perceive another set of thoughts, which regarded the vessel with hate and enmity. This was an enemy, something to be destroyed without mercy.

The more rational part of Viserys mind recognized the shape as_ Falcon's Pride_, and he wondered why he saw his own flagship as an enemy. The controlling force tried to quash these thoughts, and Viserys felt that line of reasoning start to lose meaning in his mind. Yes, he hated that shape. It needed to be destroyed, and quickly.

With a vicious mental jerk, Viserys shouted to his dream self that hating that ship would be like hating his own body; it did not make sense. The controlling force pressed down on him harder, but Viserys' will was strong. He struggled against the force that tried to smother him like a cold blanket, and gradually, he could feel the pressure weakening. The controlling force could not maintain its pressure against him, and he threw it completely aside, discovering that he could control his dream self now.

He looked behind him to see a vast cloud of Oocca flying towards the airship, with three floating castles soaring astern at varying altitudes. He saw a line running from _Falcon's Pride_ to one of the castles, and he recognized it as the abandoned fortress he had captured yesterday. A crowd of the Oocca descended on the line, attacking it with swords and axes. He tried to shout at them to stop, but heard only an angry-sounding screech emerge from his mouth.

One of the closer avians, this one with a red sash around its body, looked sharply at Viserys' dream self. It made an interrogatory screech, and when Viserys did not answer, the Oocca commander swooped closer to him.

For the first time, Viserys wondered why the _Falcon's Pride_ was not reacting to the swarm of enemies. Surely the lookouts would have spotted them by now, even in the darkness. The moon was close to being full, and it should have been more than enough light to see at least the floating fortresses.

Viserys saw a blade headed for his dream eyes, and he jolted awake, practically flying out of his bunk. He sat there for a moment, calming himself. As he regained control, Viserys heard an odd whirring sound, a noise that nothing on _Falcon's Pride_ made. He decided that he had better investigate. The porthole next to his bunk was too small to really see anything, anyway.

The Mercenary King reached for his sword belt, which hung over one of the bedposts. The bed was bolted to the floor, against the wall, and Viserys stumbled into the middle of the room, where he had left his uniform pants draped over a chair. He pulled them on over his shorts, buckling on his sword belt next and drawing the weapon. He wrenched open the door to his quarters and dashed for the nearest door that opened onto the outer hull, knowing the way without really having to look.

None of the night crew reacted to their admiral running bare-chested with a drawn sword through the corridors of the ship, and Viserys slowed as he almost crashed headlong into one of them, moving his sword aside just in time to avoid stabbing the woman. She simply walked past him, a blank look on her face.

The Mercenary King caught hold of her arm, intending to chastise her for not getting out of his way and ignoring him, but she simply tugged her arm loose and continued on her way.

Viserys sheathed his sword and grabbed the woman by her shoulders, spinning her around to face him. He held her still, and she stood motionless, her face blank and her eyes unfocused.

He looked down at her nametag. "Crewman Ygritte! Attention!"

No response. Ygritte continued to stand motionless.

Another crewman, a man, bumped into Viserys and walked around him, making no sound other than breathing. Several more crew members, their faces as blank as Ygritte's, moved robotically through the corridor. She remained standing, not moving any part of her body but her chest, which moved in and out in an eerily regular pattern.

Viserys shook Ygritte's shoulder. No response. Deciding to use drastic measures, he drew back his hand and lightly struck her across the face. Nothing. He watched the red mark slowly fade away.

Even with his tremendous self-control and strength of will, Viserys felt his arms prickle with gooseflesh, the hair standing on end. Something was thoroughly wrong here.

He shoved Ygritte sharply, and she simply fell over backwards, as if she was a board balanced on end. She lay on the floor, still breathing with the same rigid pattern. None of the other crew reacted in the slightest.

Viserys left Crewman Ygritte lying on the deck and resumed running for the outside door, quickening his pace.

He opened the hatch and ran outside into the open air, feeling the wind pull at his hair and clothes. The scene from his dream was true, with two undamaged Oocca fortresses behind his vessel and a swarm of the creatures descending on_ Falcon's Pride_, bearing bombs and blades. He looked around for an alarm bell, and he found one, pulling on the rope and shouting at the top of his lungs that the ship was under attack.

This attracted attention, though not in the form he expected. Several of his soldiers, their eyes blank, suddenly turned as one and drew their swords, advancing on the Admiral. They swung clumsily at him, though all at once. He dodged their strikes, drawing his sword to block what he could not avoid.

Even in the confusion of his disturbing battle with his own men, Viserys noticed several of the other crew members that were on the outer hull slow to a stop and stand still. For every crew member that stopped, the soldiers attacking him became more accurate in their strikes.

Soon, another group of soldiers joined the first, and Viserys had to start striking back, trying to incapacitate and not kill the men. But more and more crew members joined the fight to subdue him, and Viserys knew he would soon be overwhelmed.

* * *

Midna leaned back against a pole supporting the cloth of the tent wall as Nabooru left. "Priestess, eh?" she said to Arnak.

The big man frowned. "That was what I thought of. You would rather I introduced you as a sorceress?" He kept his voice low, probably thinking that the Gerudo outside would be trying to listen.

Raskys nodded. "Knowing these people, that wouldn't be a good idea. Good catch with 'Mara' here. We _really_ shouldn't tell them who she really is."

Zelda spoke, her voice quiet, also. "We should continue to hide my identity on the rest of our journey. We do not know who we will encounter, and it would not be advisable to advertise that the ruler of Hyrule is not in her kingdom. I believe I should continue to masquerade as a Sheikah." She showed them the symbol on the back of her cloak. "I know their ways well enough that I should be able to convince anyone we meet that I am not a Royal." She whispered her last statement, especially careful to not let it be overheard.

"Except," Midna observed, "you don't have red eyes like Erik here." She whispered, also, as did everyone in the tent from that point on.

Erik waved his hand dismissively. "There are ways of changing Mara's eye color if we really need to." He looked around at the group. "I believe we should call her that all the time, so none of us slip up."

"That would be wise," Majacen said. "I would also advise against getting too friendly with the Gerudo, especially the male members of our group."

"Why?" asked Link. Midna wanted to know, also.

"I've heard about this from the Zuna." Raskys leaned over to them. "Depending on how much they like us, they may ask us to give them a child."

Link put his hand on Colin's shoulder protectively. "We're not leaving Colin with these people."

"Erm, that's not exactly what I meant." Raskys' face creased in thought. He was obviously searching for a way to put what he had to say delicately, since the boy was present.

Midna understood what he meant, as did most of the others, but Link obviously still didn't get it. He could be kind of dense sometimes, Midna thought.

Majacen tapped Raskys' arm. "I believe I can explain. The Gerudo are a race of women. Only one male is born to them every hundred years, and this man is groomed to be their king. It is considered a great honor among the Gerudo to bear a future king."

Comprehension dawned on Link's face, and he started to turn red with embarrassment. Midna chuckled, and he glared at her, which only made her laugh harder.

Colin had a confused expression on his face. Zelda told him that he would understand when he was older. He nodded uncertainly, apparently deciding to not think about it too carefully.

Midna walked over and opened the tent flap a crack to look outside. A hail of angry-sounding words assailed her, and a Gerudo poked her head inside the tent.

"Stay here," she said slowly, with a thicker accent than Nabooru's. This particular guard probably didn't speak much Hylian.

"All right, all right. Sorry." Midna lifted her hands in the air in a non-threatening gesture. "I'll stay inside." She turned back to the group. "Well, it's getting towards nighttime out there. The sun's starting to set."

"How long do you think they plan to keep us here?" Erik said.

Raskys nudged him with his elbow and waggled his eyebrows. "I suppose that depends on how much they like us, if you get what I'm saying." He grinned.

Midna saw Arnak scowl at the ranger. "That is not funny."

Raskys' grin grew wider. "Not to you, maybe. That Nabooru seemed to like you. I think you might have a shot, big guy."

Arnak held up a warning finger, his expression still serious. "Be quiet, Raskys." He was clearly not amused.

The ranger didn't seem to catch the hint. He chuckled and shrugged. "I'm just saying, that's what it looked like to me. We might have to leave you behind."

Arnak's frown deepened, and Midna thought she saw a hint of pain in his eyes. "That's enough."

"Oh, come on, big guy! Have a sense of humor once in a while." The ranger was still grinning widely, not noticing how angry Arnak was getting. "She might be just right for you, you know." Raskys looked back over at Arnak, and his smile slowly faltered at the big man's glare.

Arnak said several words in a language Midna didn't understand, but Raskys obviously did. His tone was grave, and… threatening, almost.

Raskys was serious for a moment as he thought about what Arnak had said. He smiled again and shrugged. "You're the boss." He interlaced his fingers behind his head and leaned against a tent pole, closing his eyes.

Majacen looked at Arnak oddly, apparently understanding what the big man had said. Arnak looked back at the wizard and said several more words in the foreign language, stopping when the older man nodded and responded with a two-word affirmation.

Out of the corner of her eye, Midna saw a flicker of insight pass across Zelda's face as she apparently understood why Arnak was so irritated with the ranger. The princess's face briefly reflected sadness, but then quickly went back to her normal neutral expression.

Colin had a questioning look on his face, also, but his mind was going in a different direction. "What language is that?"

Arnak's frown vanished and he smiled at the boy. "It is my native language. I have not always spoken Hylian."

"But your grammar is perfect," Link said. "I could have sworn that you were a native speaker."

"Hylian is spoken all over the world as a trade language. Most travelers speak it, since almost all merchants know Hylian." Majacen ran his fingers through his long beard as he talked, combing some of the tangles out.

"The wizard is correct," said Arnak. "I started learning Hylian as a young man, when I would go on trading expeditions with my father. He told me that he didn't know what country it originated from; just that most well-traveled people spoke it. Needless, to say, I was glad I already knew the language when I arrived here."

Majacen started talking again, his deep, melodious voice taking on a teaching air. "The country of Hyrule once exerted a considerably greater influence over this world. The kingdom's traditional borders have stayed mostly the same over the centuries, but trading caravans from the Chosen Land of the Gods once traveled all over the world, spreading its goods and languages. Eventually the Merchants' Guild adopted Hylian as its official language, and it spread from there."

Erik spoke up. "The Sheikah also speak Hylian, primarily, and we travel all over the world, as well. It is in our interests to have Hylian kept active in foreign lands."

Colin's face scrunched up in concentration. "So, mostly everybody we meet is going to understand us, right?"

"Probably." Raskys' eyes were still closed as he continued to lean against the tent pole. "Though I wouldn't be too obvious that Hylian is the only language you speak. Try and speak haltingly when we meet new people." He opened one eye and looked at the boy. "Or just let them do the talking, and act like you don't know exactly what they're saying. It's been my experience that people aren't as careful when they think you can't understand them."

Majacen nodded. "Our mission is not a secret one, but we will likely be better received if people we meet think we are from nearby."

"I've got a funny question," said Midna. "What _is_ our mission right now, since Nemo's been captured?" She looked around the tent. "Assuming we get to leave and continue on our way."

Arnak answered as if his statement was obvious. "We look for a way to defeat the Oocca. We formed this group for that purpose, did we not?"

Majacen nodded. "I believe I know a good place to start. There is another group dedicated to fighting the invaders, and we should combine forces with them."

"Who?" asked Midna.

The wizard shook his head. "We should not speak of this here. They are far from this place, and there will be plenty of time for explanations on the way."

Midna leaned back to wait out Nabooru's return. "There'd better be."

* * *

Nabooru left her tent and the captives it contained behind, headed for another tent in the camp. She was dimly aware of a ring of guards encircling the makeshift prison, but her mind was on other things.

The Antihero had been captured, and she intended to question the creature. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to her distant mothers who had found a way to nullify the Accursed One's magic. They had almost captured the creature a few days ago, but had been forced to let him go when a scout reported a band of warriors following the monster. They had decided to monitor the pyramid and the warriors, in case any of them appeared to be minions of the Accursed One.

That miserable nameless charlatan had not shown himself to the Gerudo in a long time, but their spies had reported that a pyramid of shadow energy had appeared over the Hylians' castle about nine months ago, and disappeared again a month later. There had been whispers that the Accursed One had been spotted in physical form in one of the green fields surrounding the castle, and a man dressed in green and a richly dressed woman had fought him there. Nabooru dismissed these rumors as the fanciful imaginations of bored spies. After hearing these, she had reminded her women to verify things themselves before telling her, and not accept the word of those who lived in the eastern part of the desert.

The Accursed One had been from the eastern part of the desert, and the tales about him said that he had long gazed at the green fields of Hyrule with envy, and even as a young man had long plotted a way to take them for himself. His first attempt at conquest succeeded, and the Accursed One had enjoyed seven years of rule in Hyrule before he was defeated by the Hero of Time.

Nabooru shook her head violently, clearing the thoughts away. It was bad luck to think about the Accursed One, and the old crones said that those who thought about him often or agreed with what he had done left themselves open to becoming his slaves.

The desert warrior stepped inside the tent where the Antihero and his companion were being held. The Antihero was strapped to a frame of metal poles encrusted with different-colored gems. The gems were worthless to the trading clans, but the Sage Nabooru was named for had discovered that the gems somehow repelled the Accursed One's magic after she was released from her duties. A non-Gerudo had been chosen as the next Sage of Spirit, but that was a whole other story and was not worth thinking about right now.

The city that had been destroyed by the Accursed One in his last appearance had not possessed any of the gems, but afterwards, demand for them had increased among the Gerudo. Raiding parties on the fringes of the desert were required to have a supply at all times.

Nabooru stepped to the Antihero and struck him in the chest with her balled fist. He muttered something, and she slapped him twice. This drove the creature awake, and he blinked his glowing red eyes blearily.

"What do you want?" he mumbled.

"Do you truly possess the Shadow Triforce the Accursed One forged, creature?"

He leered at her openly. "Maybe I'll tell you if you ask me nicer."

Nabooru lashed out with her foot and struck the creature between the legs. From his pained grimace and groans, even this twisted monster was still a man.

She grabbed his chin and dug her thumbnail into his jaw. "I asked you a question, monster. When I ask you a question, I expect an answer."

"Yes!" he groaned. "I still have it. Don't ask me how to use it though, 'cause I don't know."

She sneered at him. "I do not want to use it, monster! I wish to destroy it!"

He opened his eyes and looked at her for a moment. "Are you sure that's what you want to do? If you can get it to work, the Triforce of Shadow is supposed to be able to control the other three pieces."

"There are no 'other three pieces', creature. There is the Hylian magic, and what the Accursed One made is but a pale imitation of it. I know that much."

"You know nothing. There's more power in the Triforce of Shadow than you can imagine, woman." The creature got a thoughtful look. "You're Gerudo. You might be able to help me figure out Ganon's Triforce." He adopted a cajoling tone. "If you help me, I can make you the ruler of your people with a wave of my hand. Anything you want, and I can make it happen, once I unlock the power I have."

Nabooru leaned closer to him, her voice low and menacing. "You can do nothing, monster, but hang there on that frame and spew crooked words at me. Save your breath, foul as it is, and tell me how to remove the Triforce of Shadow from your putrescent body."

The Antihero lunged at her, snapping his teeth together an inch from her nose. He settled back down, chuckling darkly. "Make me."

She moved with practiced speed and drove her fists into the creature's ribs three times, striking in particularly painful areas. "I have other things to do at the moment, creature, but when that time comes, you will beg to tell me all you know." She turned her jade-colored gaze upon the Antihero's companion, who was strapped to a similar frame. "I suggest that you persuade your friend to tell me what he knows, to spare you both…unpleasantness."

She turned to leave the tent, bound for a discussion with her warriors on what to do with the Hylians they had captured. Several of the men looked very healthy, and she would propose asking them to stay with the Gerudo. A male had not been born in a very long time, and the population was running dangerously low. Ordinarily, she would not consider Hylians, but the Gerudo were getting desperate.

Nabooru did not notice one of the shadows in the tent move of its own accord and elongate into the shape of a man with glowing yellow eyes.

* * *

They waited inside the tent for what seemed like hours before Nabooru returned. "Come with me." She waved her hand impatiently a few times before they all stood and followed her outside.

It was nighttime now, and a chill was falling over the desert. The Gerudo women walked around the camp without their cloaks now, and Zelda noticed several of them looking appraisingly at the men in the Company.

As Nabooru motioned them to sit around the fire, Zelda picked up a whispered conversation, surprisingly in Hylian.

"I like the big dark-haired one. He looks strong and healthy."

"What about the one in green?"

"No, too scrawny."

"Hmm, you're right. The one in black with brown hair?"

"Perhaps. Do you recognize the smaller bearded one? Not the old man, the younger one."

"Haven't we seen him in the Zuna camps a few times?"

"Yes. I wonder what he's doing with these people."

Zelda lost the conversation as Nabooru cleared her throat for attention. "My women and I have talked, and we have decided to let you and your companions go, Hero." Some of the female warriors were clearly not happy about this decision, but apparently Nabooru had the final say in the matter.

"You may take what you want from the creature, as long as you promise to destroy the Triforce of Shadow and not attempt to enter the pyramid again. If fact, we would like you to stay away from the desert altogether." Nabooru's eyes settled on Zelda. "You, Sheikah woman. Do not tell your Princess we are active in this area again. As long as the Hylians leave us alone and stay out of our territory, we will stay out of yours." She turned to Arnak. "Does your group need anything else from the pyramid?"

Arnak turned to Majacen, and the wizard shook his head. "No, we do not," the Bearer of Power said. He seemed comfortable as a leader.

"Then do not return there. I am going to order my warriors to kill anything they see moving in the complex, and there will be no exceptions to this." Nabooru held his gaze for a moment to make sure he understood she was serious. He simply nodded in reply.

Nabooru turned to look at all of the Hero's Company, and surprisingly, she smiled. "You are welcome to stay with us for tonight, and then we will show you to the edge of the desert. You are now free to go about the camp and speak to whoever you like. I have commanded my warriors to answer your questions, but do not ask us about where our cities are and," she let a trace of humor slip into her voice, "do not expect us all to be friendly. I also request that you not go too far outside the camp, because we will not protect you if you do." She motioned with her hand and the group dispersed.

The Hero's Company spent an hour or so mingled in the camp, talking with the Gerudo. Gradually, they all grew tired and retired to the tents they were offered, resting up for the long walk tomorrow.

No one in the camp noticed the shadow moving about, collecting information for its master.

* * *

Author's Note: Once again, thanks to everyone who regularly reviews. I appreciate it. If you don't know already, there are pictures of most of my OCs, the airships, and more, in my DeviantArt account, under the 'Story-Related' folder in my Favorites. You can reach this through the 'Homepage' link in my profile.


	14. Fighting in the Air

Fourteen

The Hero's Company rose early the next morning, to the sounds of the Gerudo packing up their camp.

Link stepped outside, buckling on his sword belt and securing his shield. He saw Nabooru helping to extinguish the bonfire. She looked up and waved him over as she threw a last bucketful of sand on the smoldering embers.

"Hero, I wish to speak to you and Arnak privately. The rest of your group can proceed to breakfast." Link and Arnak followed her to one of the tents that was still up, and the three of them stepped inside. Nabooru looked around the edge of the tent, checking for shadows of other people. She seemed almost… nervous, an expression Link did not expect on the warrior woman.

When she finally spoke, it was in a low voice. Link thought that she did not want the other Gerudo to overhear what she was about to say. "I ask you to listen carefully to what I have to say. This will not be an easy decision, and it is difficult for me to tell you." As she looked up at the two men, both nodded silently. "The Gerudo are a dying people. There has not been a male child born to us in nearly a hundred years. We do not know why this happens to our people, whether it is a curse or just something odd about our blood. Some blame it on the Accursed One, but this was happening long before he was born." She was fidgeting a little, and Link thought that she was uncomfortable with what she was telling them.

"Our kings do not usually live long enough to produce a male heir, and we are forced to look for mates outside our society." She took a deep breath and sighed. "This is a grave breach of hospitality, but we are getting desperate. No children of any kind have been born to the Gerudo in almost twenty years, and we are in grave danger of dying out. I must ask you if any of your group would consider staying behind with us and fathering children."

Nabooru held up a hand, the other absently playing with the hilt of her scimitar as she once again looked around the edge of the tent. "Before you say anything, let me continue. This is undoubtedly sudden and somewhat shocking to you, but consider our point of view. We are not a well-liked people, especially by the Hylians, due to the Accursed One's dealings in your land. None of the other desert tribes will intermarry with us, again due to some unfortunate decisions by our leaders in the past. We do not deserve to die out. Our culture is a rich one, and it should not be extinguished by poor leadership and prejudice."

She looked them both in the eye, and her expression was almost… pleading. "I know it is a grave responsibility I am asking of you, but we have not come across so many hardy male warriors in a long time that are not trying to kill us." She looked at Arnak. "I know this is extremely forward, but we think that you stand the best chance of producing a male child if you stay with us. You are obviously a strong man, and you seem very healthy, also. What do you say?"

Arnak's face was very thoughtful for a long moment. "How long would we have to stay if we agreed to this?"

Nabooru's face brightened a little, glad that they had not rejected her outright. "You would have to stay at least long enough to ensure that the child is well on the way, though we would prefer if you stayed until after the children are born, in case something goes wrong and you would have to try again."

She looked both of them in the eye again. "Our culture dictates that you would have to marry the woman you would be having the child with, although outsider men in our society are permitted to have more than one wife if it is necessary to the survival of our race. We have faced extinction before, but we have never come so close to it as we are now. I will understand if you are uncomfortable with this and refuse, but understand, we have no other choice."

Arnak looked at Link. "We do not have time for this, but we cannot callously refuse. Can we spare anyone?"

Link thought carefully for a moment. He wasn't used to being a leader; he'd always had to look out for only himself and no one else. Making decisions and giving orders was new to him. "They would have to choose to stay. We cannot force any of us to stay behind."

The big man shook his head. "This would be a weighty responsibility. We would basically be ensuring the survival of a race, and we cannot make that decision lightly." He turned back to Nabooru. "How soon would we have to start?"

The Gerudo woman's expression was carefully neutral. Link thought that she was probably trying not to get her hopes up. "As soon as possible. We still have many women still capable of bearing children, but we would prefer not to wait."

"We would essentially have to stay with the Gerudo for the rest of our lives if we agree. I do not know if any of the Company would be willing." Arnak looked out of the tent flap at where the rest of the Hero's Company sat with the Gerudo, eating something out of clay bowls. He turned back to Nabooru. "We are on a mission of utmost importance. No doubt you have seen the flying castles over Hyrule." Link was momentarily surprised by the sudden change of subject. He wondered where Arnak was going with this.

Nabooru nodded. "We have seen several, but we did not know what they were. None of them have flown over the desert, so we have not been able to get a very good look at any of the structures."

Arnak rubbed his chin, running his fingers through his thick beard. "It is the purpose of our group to find a way to defeat these invaders. I do not mean to be uncaring, but we do not have time to stay here and help you. We have to find a way to stop them before they take over the world. I know that sounds melodramatic, but that seems to be their intention."

"I understand." Nabooru was clearly saddened, but Link thought that she had been expecting them to refuse.

Arnak sighed quietly. "I will talk this over with our allies, and perhaps, after the war is over, we can send some willing men here. My conscience will not allow me to abandon your people to an undeserved fate." He looked over at Link. "Perhaps, when we see Princess Zelda again, we can discuss with her about proposing this idea to her people."

Nabooru continued to drum her fingers against her scimitar. "I do not know if that would be acceptable to my people. We are a proud race, and I am uncertain how our leaders would take such a gesture, no matter how well-meaning it is. Actually, I would prefer it if you did not mention this to too many people. Asking for help from non-Gerudo is… frowned upon, and if the others knew I was asking you this, it would be taken as admitting our people's weakness, which is forbidden."

Arnak nodded. "We will think about this on our journey. Perhaps some of us will return to the desert after the war is over."

"I ask only that you come willingly. It is traditional for us to… capture our mates, and I have asked my warriors to refrain from trying this with you. I was uncertain how you would react." Without another word, Nabooru walked out of the tent past the two men and headed for where the rest of the Gerudo and the Hero's Company were sitting down.

Link turned to leave, also, but Arnak put his hand on the Hero's shoulder. "From what the wizard said, we will be traveling for quite a while to reach the people he spoke of. We will have much time to discuss this amongst ourselves along the way."

"It is a lot to think about," Link agreed, "and we'll have to talk about other things, too. So much has happened in the last few days."

"You are right." Arnak inhaled deeply. "I am very hungry, and whatever they have prepared smells good. Let us go."

Link smiled, and the two warriors headed for breakfast.

* * *

Viserys felt another of the sword strikes slice into his flesh. A hiss of pain was all he permitted himself as he struck back and kicked the man into the open doorway. He'd managed to get the hatch open before the soldiers had driven him away from it, and now he was trying to knock them down the short stairs and thin their numbers. It was not going well.

The Mercenary King continued to fight off his soldiers with all the skill he had. He hadn't had to kill any of them so far, and he certainly didn't want to. His crew was obviously not acting under their own power. Viserys was now almost positive that this had something to do with the crystal Philos had brought aboard.

Almost as if he had been summoned by Viserys' thoughts, he heard Philos' voice. "Admiral! Admiral, over here!"

Viserys risked a look over at where the voice was coming from. He saw the short scientist jumping up and down, waving his arms. He had something in his hand, but the Admiral was too busy to see what it was.

He reached down with one hand and unbuckled his sword belt as he continued to block the strikes of his controlled soldiers. He whipped off the belt and clubbed one of the soldiers in the head with his scabbard, twisting it through the legs of another and tripping him. Viserys ducked under the swings of the other soldiers and rolled to the other side of the group, throwing his sword belt and seeing it hit one of the soldiers in the face. The man went down, still eerily silent. The other controlled soldiers stumbled over the fallen ones before stepping over them.

Viserys sprinted to where Philos stood, feeling the cold metal of the deck under his bare feet as he ran. He and Philos ducked through the hatch the scientist was standing next to, and they slammed it closed, locking it from the inside. They heard the controlled soldiers banging into the door and then pounding on it.

Viserys almost dropped his sword as an explosion shook the ship. He grabbed the scientist's shoulder. "Philos! What's going on?"

"It's the crystal, sir! I didn't know this would happen, otherwise I never would have brought it over. It started glowing and sparking a few hours ago, and about half an hour ago, my assistants suddenly stopped moving." The little man was trembling, probably in fear.

"Why isn't it controlling you?" Viserys looked at him suspiciously.

The scientist was panicked. "I-I don't know! I was attempting to remove part of the metal when it sparked and I received a bad shock." Philos held up his hand to show Viserys a burn. "The next thing I knew, all of my assistants stopped moving and I couldn't get a reaction out of any of them!" He stopped and looked at Viserys. "Why isn't it controlling _you_, sir?"

Viserys ran a hand through his white hair. "It was, briefly. I was dreaming that I was an Oocca, but I was able to fight off whatever was trying to control me." He looked over at Philos, who was almost twitching with fright. "Where's the crystal? We have to get it off the ship!"

Another explosion rocked _Falcon's Pride_, bigger than the last, and it knocked the two men against the wall. What was causing these?

"I th-think it's still in my laboratory. My assistants chased me out a few minutes ago." Viserys noticed the chunk of metal the scientist was waving around, and asked him what it was. Philos looked down at his hand, as if just now realizing he was holding something. "Oh, this? I pried this off of the crystal. It came off in my hand when I was shocked." He dropped it to the deck.

Viserys looked down the empty stretch of corridor. "Let's go, Philos. We are under attack, and we need to get that thing off the ship as soon as we can. Have you seen anyone else who wasn't under control?" The other man shook his head.

The two of them ran as fast as they could to Philos' laboratory. They were not halted by any of the crew on the way; in fact, Viserys didn't see a single crew member as they dashed through the corridors of _Falcon's Pride_. He wondered where they were as they turned the corner and stopped in front of the laboratory.

Philos slowly opened the door, and he peered inside. "There's no one here."

"Is the crystal still inside?" Viserys continued to look around.

Philos stepped further into the room. "Yes, it is. That's odd."

"What is?" Viserys stepped into the room, also, his sword still in his hand. He looked around the room suspiciously, expecting a controlled crew member to jump out at any moment.

The scientist frowned. "Well, I would assume that if this crystal is focusing the mind control, and the force is aware that at least the two of us are acting of our own free will… I'd think there would be at least something guarding it from us."

"That is strange," Viserys agreed. "But, we don't have time to worry about that. We have to get the crystal off of the ship, and then we need to get to the bridge." Viserys paused for a moment as he thought about where the nearest hatch outside was.

Philos picked up a wooden rod, the handle for one of his tools, probably, and he gingerly poked the glowing and humming crystal with it.

Viserys looked around the room, and he spied a small cart Philos used to move heavy equipment around. Handing he scientist his sword, he grabbed the cart and pushed it over to where the crystal sat on its pedestal, the humming rising and falling in a rigidly regular pattern. The glow pulsed in time with the humming and Viserys remembered Crewman Ygritte and how she had breathed in that same pattern.

As he reached out to push the crystal and its pedestal onto the cart, Viserys was suddenly disoriented, and as his hand touched the pedestal, he received an electric shock. He yanked his hand back, looking at the burn.

"That's what happened to me. How are we going to get this off the ship if we can't touch it?" Philos clutched Viserys' sword like a talisman, his knuckles white as he squeezed the leather-wrapped hilt.

Viserys picked up the wooden rod and rapped it against the crystal several times. He held it against the crystal briefly, but nothing happened. He held up the rod. "Do you have any more wood in here?"

Philos nervously looked around his laboratory, dropping the sword as the ship rocked again with another explosion. He scooped up some large wooden tongs and another wooden rod like the one Viserys was holding.

At Viserys' direction, the two of them gingerly eased the crystal onto the cart with the tongs and the wooden rods and headed for the door. Viserys picked up his sword and held it at the ready while Philos pushed the cart.

As they moved through the silent, abandoned corridors of the ship, Viserys wondered where all his crewmen had gotten to. There should have been at least someone blocking their way as they headed for the hangar. But there was no one.

He stopped Philos outside the hangar and looked in himself. Several crewmen were standing motionless inside, probably waiting for them. Viserys pressed himself back against the wall, biting back a gasp as he felt pressure on one of the wounds on his back. He closed his eyes and let the flat of his sword rest against his neck, feeling the cool metal against his skin as he built up his energy for the fight he knew was coming.

"What are we going to do?" he heard Philos whisper.

Viserys opened his eyes, brushing some of the sweat off his face with one hand. "We're going to have to go through them. Get ready."

The smaller man nodded nervously.

* * *

After the Gerudo finished loading the tents and equipment onto the camels and horses, they headed for the northwestern edge of the desert. Majacen had told Nabooru that they did not need to head back to Hyrule, and were instead bound for the continent west of it.

Shad walked at the rear of the group, with Colin and 'Mara' walking next to him. He was afraid to talk to the princess, thinking that he would probably slip up and call her 'Your Majesty' or something like that. He had already irritated their host by mentioning Ganondorf, and now he was worried that he would disrupt the disguise they had settled on for Zelda.

They walked in near silence for several hours, and every once in a while, Shad would look up and see some rocky hills off in the distance, through the blowing sand. How the Gerudo managed to keep them walking in a straight line, Shad didn't know. He couldn't see anything most of the time, and he knew that he would have gotten lost on his own.

Link had told him once that there was an Oocca statue in the southern part of the desert. Shad knew about it from his father's notes, but had never visited it himself. He sighed through the scarf he was wearing to filter out the sand. His father Henry had been a rather adventurous man, similar to Link. He had been the sort of scholar that would rather visit a place for himself than just read about it in a book. His father had known all about booby traps and how the ancients engineered things, and he had explored Hyrule from one end to the other, investigating any ancient structures he could find.

Henry had always been fascinated by the Sky People and what little they had left behind in Hyrule. He had found and documented all of the mysterious owl statues, and had spent the last few years of his life in pursuit of their origin. Shad caught himself thinking that his father would have made a better addition to the Company than him, if he were still alive.

Shad's thoughts were interrupted by the caravan stopping. He saw the rest of the Company gathering up at the front of the line. He, Colin, and Zelda moved to join them.

Nabooru had her foot planted in the small of Nemo's back, and was pressing him against the ground. It looked to Shad like the Antihero had tried to escape and had been recaptured. The scholar knew that the Gerudo had been attempting to beat the information they wanted out of the creature, so he wasn't surprised Nemo had tried to escape, though he hardly felt sorry for the monster. He was just glad the Gerudo hadn't decided to keep the Company prisoner, also. They were at the start of the rocky hills, and the Gerudo were turning the animals around.

"This is where we part ways," Nabooru was saying, "and I wish you a good journey. You may take what you can from this creature, but we will keep him with us. We have a place we can keep him where he will not cause any more trouble for you."

Majacen bent down and moved his hand over the creature, stopping at Nemo's left hand. The wizard reached down and grabbed the creature's wrist and shook it, moving the fingers of his other hand in an odd manner. The wizard concentrated for a few moments, but finally, he shook his head. "I cannot draw the Shadow Triforce out of the creature. I do not know why, but it seems it shall remain in him." Shad heard Nemo start to chuckle, then groan as Nabooru pressed the sole of her boot deeper into his back.

Midna stepped forward. "Can you at least take the Fused Shadows from him? I'd really like those back." Her hand rested on the hilt of the Twilight Blade at her side, and she absently drummed her fingers against the pommel.

Majacen frowned in concentration as he held his hand out, palm downwards, over the creature. Two objects, looking like part of a helmet and a pair of horns, appeared under the wizard's hand, spinning slowly. The old man's frown deepened and his beard started to bristle out as he concentrated harder. He finally stopped and held out his hand to Midna, the two objects still floating beneath it.

"I am sorry," he said, "but something is preventing me from taking the other two pieces. It is almost like they are no longer there."

Midna grasped the helmet-like object and the pair of horns with her hands, and her body briefly glowed with a phosphorescent blue-green light. The markings on her arms and legs flared brightly with the light, and the two Fused Shadows shrank out of existence above her hands. Shad was amazed. He decided to ask her more about her people when he got the chance.

The Twilight Princess shrugged. "That's much better. Not as good as all four, but it's better than nothing." She kicked Nemo with a sandaled foot. "Hey, you! What did you do with my other two Fused Shadows?"

Nemo raised his head up slightly. "Don't ask me. I don't know anything about magic." It seemed to Shad that the creature was fighting not to smile, for some reason.

Midna turned to Zherron. "What did he do with them?"

The grim scientist shrugged minutely, his mouth set in a hard line.

Midna scoffed. "Oh, you're both probably liars anyway." The Twili poked Link's arm. "Give me your Gossip Stone." He handed it to her, and she walked over to Nabooru, holding the gem out.

The Gerudo leader touched her own stone to the one in Midna's hand. "I want you to call us if you ever manage to get the other two pieces out of him," Midna said. Nabooru nodded, but Midna turned back to her. "Oh, and if you do, don't touch them, whatever you do. You really, _really_ shouldn't touch the Fused Shadows, if you don't want to turn into a horrible monster or something."

Nabooru nodded again. "I understand." She turned to one of the other Gerudo warriors. "Bring the creature's sword. They may want it, also." The warrior nodded and moved off to one of the camels, where she started looking through the bags on it.

The Gerudo leader looked over at Link and Arnak. "May your journey be successful, and may you return to our desert someday. I will talk to our leaders about what we discussed earlier." The two of them nodded, though Shad hadn't the foggiest idea what they were talking about. That was one thing that irritated the scholar about the Company; each of them seemed to have at least one secret they didn't talk to the others about.

The warrior returned, a puzzled look on her face. "Mistress, I cannot find the sword, though I know exactly where I packed it."

Nabooru sighed irritably. "Are you sure you didn't pack it on a different animal?" Shad saw the smile start to creep over the Antihero's features again at this.

"Yes, Mistress, I am sure. It is not where I left it."

The Gerudo leader followed the warrior back to the camel, where the warrior indicated two loops on the camel's harness. "See, the loops are broken."

Nabooru frowned. "They are not broken; they have been cut with a blade. Someone has stolen the creature's sword." She looked back at the Hero's Company. "None of my women would have a reason to take the creature's sword. Did any of you take it?"

They all shook their heads, just as puzzled as the Gerudo.

"This is very strange." Nabooru said, walking around the camel. "Has anyone seen anything that would explain this?"

None of her warriors had an answer.

Nabooru viciously kicked Nemo in the ribs. "_He _has not been near the sword since we took it from him, or his vile companion." Shad saw Zherron scowl at being described that way.

"Stop kicking me," Nemo groaned, shifting on the ground.

Nabooru kicked him again. "Shut up, creature." She turned back to the Company. "I recommend that you keep a careful watch from now on. We will keep eyes on the monster at all times, to ensure that he does not disappear as well. I wish you had time to help us investigate this, but you need to leave soon." Nabooru drew a bag from under her cloak and handed it to Arnak. "These are all of the repelling gems that we can spare; there are nine of them. You should each keep one with you at all times, to protect you from the Accursed One and his minions."

Arnak nodded and tucked the bag into his leather jerkin, which was open in the desert heat, along with most of the buttons on his tunic.

The Gerudo warrior shaded her eyes with one hand as she looked at the rocky hills. "There is a river through these hills that empties into the sea. If you follow it for two hundred miles, you will come upon a city. You should be able to find a ship there that is going wherever you need to go. I have never been inside, but we see ships entering and leaving the harbor at all times of the day." She turned back to look at Arnak. "You should leave now, if you hope to reach the river before dark."

"Thank you." Arnak shifted his satchel on his back. The rest of the Company picked up their bags and adjusted them, getting ready to go.

"Farewell, Hero's Company." Nabooru touched her fist to the opposite shoulder and bowed slightly. The other Gerudo repeated the gesture. Arnak bowed in return, as did most of the Company, until Shad realized what was going on and also bowed.

The Hero's Company headed off into the hills, leaving the Gerudo behind.

* * *

Viserys looked at Philos, gripping the smaller man's shoulder. "Tell me the plan, one more time."

The scientist drew in a shuddering breath. "You go inside and distract the soldiers while I push the cart out of the hangar door," he recited, "and I don't stop for anything. Are you sure the door is open?"

"Yes, it is. I think they opened it to let the Oocca inside, so we have to hurry. Let's go!"

Viserys charged inside the hangar, sprinting for where his private airship, _Peregrine,_ sat in its berth on one side of the hangar. As he expected, the crewmembers inside followed him, even their feet moving in the rigid pattern.

He heard the squeaking wheels of the cart as Philos pushed it as fast as he could toward the gaping hangar door. Viserys saw a determined look on the scientist's face as he ran.

The Mercenary King skidded to a halt and reversed direction suddenly, trying to confuse the controlling force. He had noticed that it didn't seem to be able to concentrate on too many things at once, and if he was able to keep its attention, it might not notice Philos.

No such luck. He saw two of the crewmen leave the main group and head for the scientist, who was now about halfway across the hangar. Viserys shouldered his way through the other crewmen and ran for the scientist and his cart, hoping to get there before the mind-controlled crew members did.

He felt the air move across his back as the other crewmen swung at him from behind, but his focus was solely on reaching the cart and the crystal before they were able to stop Philos. Nothing else mattered but getting that crystal off of his ship and getting his crew back under their own control.

He saw one of the controlled crewmen strike Philos' leg and the scientist go down, clutching his injury. The cart continued to roll forwards, driven by its momentum, but one of the crewmen reached out and grabbed the handle.

Viserys crashed into the man, not bothering to slow down as he slammed the crewman aside and pushed the cart himself, forcing himself to leave Philos behind for the moment. He shoved forward with all the speed he could muster, intent on his goal.

He was only twenty feet from the edge and the sheer drop to the ocean below when three Oocca swooped into the hangar and smashed into the cart and Viserys, knocking both over. The crystal and pillar rolled for a few feet, coming to a stop about three yards from the edge. It sat there, so close to the edge, but also so far away. How was he going to get the thing overboard if he couldn't touch it?

Viserys slashed at the Oocca, trying to block their strikes. The wind from their beating wings buffeted him, almost making him close his eyes for a moment. He swung his sword, feeling it slice deep into an avian. It exploded into a cloud of black smoke, something he'd never seen one do before. His analytical mind filed it away to ponder later.

He reached down, and with a burst of adrenaline-fueled strength, picked up the cart and swung it into the two remaining Oocca. He felt the strain in his back as the wooden cart smashed into the two avians and they fell to the deck, the pieces of the cart falling with them.

Viserys released the cart handle and let it drop to the deck as he lunged for the crystal. He grabbed the bottom part of the metal pillar, trying to ignore the shock it gave him as he heaved upward and flipped the pillar over, moving it a few feet closer. His hands shook as he dropped his sword and reached down to pick up the crystal again.

One of the controlled crewmen tackled Viserys just then, and the two of them skidded across the deck in a tangle of arms and legs. Viserys drew back his hand and punched the crewman repeatedly in the face, hearing the crack of breaking bone as he hit the man in the nose. Blood started to leak out of the man's nostrils, but he fought on, as if not noticing the pain.

He tried to pick Viserys up, clearly intent on pitching him out of the hangar, but Viserys slipped his leg between the crewman's and hooked his ankle behind the man's knee. He pulled his leg toward himself, punching the man in the jaw at the same time. The controlled crewman went down, and Viserys took advantage of the opportunity to stumble to the pillar again.

He had just closed his hands around the edge and was pushing upwards when another crewman crashed into him. The Mercenary King, the crewman, and the crystal all went sliding for the edge. Viserys managed to catch hold of a bar that was part of the retractable door structure, but the crewman went flying past him, not making a sound as the unfortunate man plunged to the unforgiving water thousands of feet below. Viserys cursed whatever had been controlling the man, sorry to lose one of his crew.

The mind-controlling crystal teetered on the edge of the hangar, hanging half in and half out. The Mercenary King looked up at it, silently willing it to fall. He allowed one voiced curse to escape his control as it started to lean back into the hangar when another explosion made the ship feel like it was shaking apart.

He heaved himself upward, his muscles screaming as he pulled up with his arm, reaching for the crystal with his other hand. His fingers brushed it, and he felt the shock burn them, but he hooked his leg around the bar and pulled himself up another few inches. The wind whipped at his sweat-soaked hair, and he felt his other muscles starting to tire as he got a grip on the pillar and pulled out with all of his remaining strength.

He felt his hand reflexively let go as the shock coursed through him, stronger than ever before, but his effort was enough, and the crystal toppled out of the hangar, spinning end over end until it dropped out of sight.

Viserys watched it plunge, and felt his grip on the bar start to loosen. He knew he would soon plunge after it, following his unlucky crew member.

He saw a hand reach over the edge and seize his arm, and he recognized the crewman whose nose he had broken. He swung up at the man, but the crewman caught hold of his other arm and pulled up. The crewman dragged Viserys back into the hangar and let him down on the deck.

"I-I-I'm so sorry, sir. I saw myself fighting you, but I couldn't control anything I was doing. It was like some kind of horrible dream."

Viserys nodded tiredly at the crewman. "You are forgiven," he panted, dropping his head back to the deck. "Return to your station." He looked up at the man again, realizing the pain the man must be feeling from the wound he'd been forced to inflict. "Go to the medical station first."

The crewman held his broken nose, nodding. "Yes, sir."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other crew members help Philos to his feet, apologizing profusely.

The Mercenary King allowed himself a few more minutes' rest before he pulled himself to his feet and started for the bridge. He may have succeeded in this task, but the ship still wasn't out of danger.

He still had two Oocca fortresses to deal with.

* * *

The Company walked in a line, with Majacen, Arnak, and Link in the front and the others scattered along behind them. Erik volunteered to bring up the rear, and the Sheikah's eyes moved constantly, always on the alert for threats.

Raskys was near the middle of the line, and he was deep in thought as he walked. He was sorry he had insulted Arnak yesterday, but until the big man told him, he wasn't aware the Bearer of Power even had a wife, or that she was dead.

The ranger pulled his sand-colored cloak closer about himself, feeling a chill start to fall over the area. They had been walking most of the day, first from the Gerudo camp and now through these hills to the river.

As he gripped the material, Raskys smiled slightly. Midna had made this with magic when they had first arrived at this desert. He knew it had only been a few days, but it seemed like a lifetime of experience had passed since then.

Raskys snorted. "What kind of thinking is that?" he said quietly. "Next thing you know, you'll be talking to yourself or something." He grinned at his own joke.

Streaks of red and purple stretched across the sky as the sun started to descend and the hour of twilight began. Arnak called from the head of the group that he saw the river off in the distance, and the Company quickened their pace, eager to reach it before nightfall.

After about twenty minutes, they left the hills and made their way down to a wide, flat area next to the river where they got a camp ready. Majacen made Colin laugh with delight when the old wizard made a burst of fire stream forth from his fingertips and light the campfire. Erik and Shad went off to find more firewood, and Arnak and Link walked around the area, making sure no one else was nearby.

Raskys, Midna, and Princess Zelda helped Majacen look through the Company's supplies for that night's meal. The wizard sent Colin and Zelda out to look for any fruit trees or berry bushes, though he told them their chances of finding them were slim. Midna and Raskys went down to the river to fill up the canteens.

As they checked the water to make sure it was clean, Midna asked Raskys if he was from Hyrule.

"No, I'm not," he said. "I'm from over the sea. I came here about three years ago." He bent down to fill the first canteen.

"Where, over the sea? Is it anywhere we're going?" Midna held another container under the current, glancing up at him.

Raskys decided against giving her too much information. He kept the way he had come to this continent to himself, for now. "Probably not. We'll see, though." He pointed past her, ignoring her quizzical expression. "The others are back."

Majacen announced that dinner was ready, and they all gathered around.

"Now," he said as the Company dished out the food and sat down, "I think it is time I explain a few things. First, I will tell you a bit more about the Swords of the Gods, and their original purpose." He cleared his throat, and adopted a storytelling tone as the Company listened.

"Thousands of years ago, before the dawn of civilization in Hyrule, the worlds the Goddesses created were connected in a vast portal system. Not even the oldest texts tell us who built these portals. Perhaps the gods themselves made them, but no one is sure. After a time, people began to use the portals, and guardians were assigned to watch them.

"The portals are controlled through powerful weapons, the Swords of the Gods. The guardians bore the swords, and the portals could only be activated if the sword was thrust into a pedestal in the center of the room. The swords are also imbued with the power to defend the portal and its guardian from any with wicked hearts who would use the portals for an evil purpose.

"Over time, the portal network gradually fell into disuse, and when the Temple of Time was built around the portal in Hyrule, it was redirected to only go to the Sacred Realm."

"So why didn't I go to the Sacred Realm when I went there?" Link said.

"You need the three Spiritual Stones to make the portal in the Temple of Time activate, Hero, along with an object known as the Ocarina of Time, which features in the legends of one of your predecessors. This requirement was not placed on any of the other portals, and they will activate simply if their guardian sword is put into the pedestal."

Raskys saw Midna look down at the Twilight Blade as the wizard spoke. Majacen looked up at the stars overhead. "I am sorry to stop there, but the hour grows late, and we should get some rest. I will continue in the morning. Our journey will be long, and there will be much time to share what we know with each other." The wizard seemed to look right at Raskys as he said this, and the ranger wondered what he meant.

Erik took the first watch, and the Hero's Company rolled up in their blankets and cloaks, knowing they still had a long journey in front of them. More than one member stared up at the stars before falling asleep, wondering what other secrets they would uncover in the journey to come.

* * *

Revision Note: Fixed a few errors and some minor rewording and reformatting in a few places. Nothing major. Thanks for reading!


	15. Journey along the River

Fifteen

Lord Kyron, as he liked to be addressed, perched on his throne, listening to his advisors. The Oocca leader nodded patiently, listening to them, but also wishing they would leave. Almost everything they were telling him, he knew already. But, he had to keep up appearances, and feign interest.

The last of them finally finished, and he dismissed them with a wave.

He heard low, thumping footsteps that practically shook the hall. From a different entrance to the throne room than the advisors had used, three of the gigantic armored warriors known as Darknuts stomped into the hall.

Their leader wore gold-colored armor, and the other two wore suits of bronze. They stopped in front of Kyron's throne, and inclined their heads forward slightly, all the respect they were willing to show. This irritated Kyron, but he had to remind himself that they were not truly his servants.

"I will have your report, Jotun." The Oocca ruler stretched his wings slightly. The one in gold-colored armor answered. As he spoke, Kyron idly thought that it was a good thing they wore their armor in different colors, because he wouldn't be able to tell them apart otherwise.

"Castle Town is completely ours," Jotun replied, his voice extremely deep and slightly distorted by his helmet. "Not a single resident remains."

Kyron glared at the Darknut commander. "You didn't kill them all, did you? I thought I told you to take slaves."

He could have sworn Jotun sneered at him behind his helmet. "We only killed a dozen or so. The rest escaped the city."

The Oocca ruler had to contain an undignified squawk of outrage. "You didn't capture _any_ of them? I told you I wanted at least the Princess and the King, alive! You couldn't catch either of them?"

The armored giant crossed his arms with a screech and a clang. "Taking the city proved to be more difficult than we anticipated. Halfway through the battle, several warriors started giving us some trouble. One of them, a human, was nearly our size, and he managed to kill five of my men by himself."

Kyron had already been given a preliminary report on the Castle Town invasion from the Oocca leader of the mission. The commander had told him that Jotun had threatened to kill him twice. Kyron wasn't surprised. Jotun was not accustomed to working with other commanders, and he was resistant to taking orders from those he viewed to be inferior warriors.

"Did you kill him?" Kyron was hoping they did, since this person sounded like a threat. He couldn't have warriors that powerful running around, opposing him.

"No, he escaped us. We found a tunnel network under the city later, and I think the Princess and the civilians used it to flee the city." Jotun scoffed. "Cowards."

Kyron was disappointed, but he continued. "Hmm, yes. So, you weren't able to take any prisoners at all?"

Jotun shook his head, his arms still crossed over his massive armored chest. The other two warriors continued to stand silent as statues behind him.

"How about the portal? Did you find any trace of it?"

"We did, actually. It was down in the dungeons under the castle."

Kyron leaned forward in expectation. "And…?"

"It was sealed. Not even our strongest warrior was able to break the stone door covering it. I think it is enchanted."

Kyron sighed in disappointment. "Probably." He straightened. "Continue to hold the city. It makes a good defensive position on the ground, in case the Hylians try to take back their kingdom. Have you tried to take any of the other villages?"

"We looked through the one your people destroyed, and we didn't find anything of interest there. I don't know where the Princess went. We also didn't find any trace of the fortress that attacked it, other than a few Oocca bodies."

Kyron rested his chin on his hand. He would ask his ally about that later. "It will turn up. Perhaps the Princess is hiding in one of the forests in that area. You should go in after her."

The Darknut scoffed derisively. "Ha! Do you know how thick the forests are in the south? Warriors our size would be obvious in a place like that. Send the Lizalfos or something to sneak around." Kyron got the odd feeling Jotun grinned wickedly just then. "Or you could burn them out."

"Perhaps. What about the east? I know there's at least one village in that part of the country."

Jotun seemed to scowl under his helmet. "We tried it. The Gorons were able to repel us."

Kyron was confused. He had a lot on his mind, and he knew he had heard the name before, but couldn't place it. "What are Gorons?"

Jotun appeared to sneer at him under his helmet again. "You should have studied Hyrule a little closer before you decided to invade it. Gorons are rock creatures with extraordinary strength. They are also invulnerable to most weapons. It's almost impossible to kill one, so we try to stay out of their territory."

Kyron nodded. "And they protected the village from you. Were the Bulblins of any help in the other campaigns?"

"Not really. The only real warrior among them is their leader. I wouldn't trust him too closely, if I were you. He says he follows the strongest side, and if he decides there's a stronger force out there, he'll join up with them."

"I'll take it under consideration. Do you have anything else?"

Jotun shifted his feet with another rattling clang of metal. "The Hero hasn't been seen since the Castle Town siege. You should think about sending scouts out to look for him. He's one of the few Hylians that could pose a threat."

Kyron waved the Darknuts away. "Don't worry about him. You are dismissed." His ally would know what the Hero was up to. Kyron made a mental note to contact him later today, if he wasn't too busy.

Jotun seemed to be about to say something else, but he turned and stomped out of the hall, followed by the other two Darknuts.

Kyron was left alone in the throne room, and he crossed to the massive map that dominated one wall. He examined the map of the continent west of Hyrule, and he thought about what he should do next against the Balacruf mercenaries that were giving his forces so much trouble there.

He left the throne room, bound for his private rooms. As Kyron walked along the hallways, he glanced outside at the clouds soaring past, and leaped over the railing, spreading his wings to catch the air currents. He soared up to the tallest tower of his flying palace and entered through the archway that was open to the air, dropping lightly to the floor.

Kyron crossed to one of the massive ancient tapestries depicting one of his people's long-forgotten victories, and pulled it aside, idly thinking how close he was to recapturing their forgotten glory. The Oocca once ruled most of the world before the Great Rebellion, and they had been slowly decaying, their proud conquering ways atrophying in the two thousand years of peace. With the help of his ally, Kyron had brought out their dormant fighting instincts, and had stirred the hearts of his people to follow him to war, taking back what was rightfully theirs.

Of course, not all his people had immediately rallied to his cause, but that was where Kyron's secret ally came in. He had been most helpful in getting the Oocca under control. He had said he had a talent for that sort of thing. He was also supplying Kyron with the ground troops, the Darknuts, Lizalfos, and other monstrous creatures. The war would not be going as well without them.

Kyron reached the secret room at the end of the tunnel, and he carefully disarmed the booby trap protecting the chamber. He folded his wings in, close to his body, and hunched over to make it through the tiny door.

Once inside the room, he pulled a secret lever and watched as a section of the wall revolved. The almost excessive level of security annoyed him, but it could not be discovered that he was in contact with an outside force. Most of the precautions had been installed by his ally, who insisted that no one know he was backing Kyron. He wouldn't even tell Kyron what his name was, but the Oocca ruler didn't mind that. Kyron was too happy with the results he was getting from his help.

The Oocca ruler drew the cloth off of the Communication Stone his ally had given him, and touched it, activating the connection. He spoke his name into the stone, and waited for a response.

Instead of the low, gravelly voice of his ally, a thin, almost hissing voice answered. "My master is busy. Contact him later." The connection was abruptly terminated, and the Communication Stone's red glow faded.

Kyron scowled at the now-dormant stone. "What could he possibly be too busy with to talk to me?"

* * *

Viserys moved through the corridors of his ship, his sword in his hand. One of the soldiers on the outer hull probably had his sword belt, but he didn't have time to go find it.

An explosion knocked him into the wall, and he caught himself with one arm. He had discovered where all the crew members had gone. Most of them had found themselves in the engine room, in various stages of sabotaging the propeller assemblies. Those same crewmen were now working frantically to repair the damage they had caused while under control. Others had found themselves dragging the gunpowder from the cannon rooms throughout the ship. One man had reported that he had awakened to find a torch in his hand, two feet from a barrel full of explosive powder.

As he walked to the bridge, Viserys mulled over what had been reported to him so far. Some crewmen had been awake, and fully aware of what was happening, but unable to stop it, and others, who had been asleep in their bunks, awoke to find themselves far from their quarters. Most of the crew were deeply disturbed by what had happened, and all were glad to know that their commander had been able to fight through it.

The Mercenary King opened the door to the bridge and stepped inside, handing his sword to a crew member. "Fetch me a uniform jacket, also," he told him, "and some boots." He had run out to save the ship in only his pants, and while it was the middle of the night and a crisis, and such things would be forgiven, he thought it undignified to command his ship barefoot and without a shirt on.

Tyrone was on the command platform, shouting orders into the tube system. Viserys had heard several of these on his way here, and he thought it admirable that the man had recovered so quickly and kept his cool.

"What is the situation?"

Tyrone turned to his commander. "We have full control of the ship, but our maneuvering capabilities are severely limited. I think we are going to have to try and outshoot them."

"Did you release the tow cable?"

"They cut through it already, sir."

"Yes, I thought so." Viserys turned to look through the massive retractable glass windows that closed off the bridge at the moment. The flying fortress they had captured was drifting free behind them, and one of the other floating castles was between it and the flagship. A sudden thought struck him.

"We're much smaller than the fortresses. Can we get the one we captured between us and the others?"

"It's possible, but it would take some quick maneuvering, and time." Tyrone grabbed the command platform's railing as the _Falcon's Pride_ shook with another explosion.

"Time is what we do not have. They are shelling us to pieces." He leaned into the speaker for the tube system. "All rear cannons fire at will! Ready forward cannons!" Viserys turned to the helmsmen. "Evasive maneuvers. Prepare to turn one hundred and eighty degrees on my command." The two men nodded and gripped their wheels. One wheel controlled elevation, the other horizontal movement.

He pulled a different cord, opening a tube that went directly to the engine compartment. "How many propellers are working?"

The voice of the chief mechanic answered. "We've fixed all but two, sir, but I wouldn't do anything too strenuous for a while. Our propellers got smashed pretty good, and I don't know how well our repairs will hold."

Viserys frowned at the news. "I'm afraid they'll have to hold, Chief. Prepare for emergency repairs."

"Yes, sir."

Viserys turned back to the bridge crew. "Ready to execute turn, prepare to turn around the closer fortress and dive under the damaged one." He pulled the cord to the batteries. "One last barrage, ready forward cannons!"

"What is your plan, sir?" Tyrone asked.

"Now that we know for certain it is a singular force controlling our enemy, we must adapt our tactics accordingly." Viserys turned to the flagship's captain. "We must act in as confusing a manner as possible." He turned back to the helmsmen. "Down twelve degrees when I give the order. Increase to fifty knots."

As the _Falcon's Pride _turned, the side-mounted cannons loosed a spread of bombs at the two Oocca fortresses. Most of their shots were intercepted, but a few made it through, and this encouraged the crew.

"Forward guns: fire!"

The forward cannons fired as the flagship oriented towards her attackers, increasing speed. Under the Admiral's direction, the flagship slowly accelerated until it appeared that she would ram her attacker. The flying fortress slowly started to move out of the way, precisely what Viserys wanted it to do. He waited, making the calculations in his head, until the time was right. At Viserys' direction, the sleek, winged shape of _Falcon's Pride_ turned almost on her side, swerving around the Oocca fortress between it and their goal.

"Full spread, all dorsal cannons!"

He heard the reports of the cannons as they launched bombs at the fortress, most of them detonating against the spires and towers of the enemy airship. The flagship started to complete its turn, and he ordered for the dive to begin.

As the airship neared the wrecked fortress, he gave another order. "Ready tow cables!"

Viserys heard a low groaning from deep within the ship. This series of maneuvers was putting a terrible stress on his damaged vessel, but he had no choice.

As _Falcon's Pride_ slid between the first Oocca fortress and the damaged one, swooping under the wrecked fortress, Viserys gave the order to fire the tow cables into the underside. The barbed grappling hooks caught on the protrusions and holes in the underside, and as the flagship flew along under the mile-wide Oocca castle, the lines snapped taut and the massive structure began to move with the airship.

Viserys had been counting on the floating fortresses' unnatural buoyancy, and his gamble paid off as the fortress moved without too much effort from his damaged vessel's engines. He turned to look behind and saw a swarm of avian soldiers flying under the Oocca fortress and toward his ship.

He pulled the cord for ship-wide. "Archers at the ready! All hands, prepare to repel boarders!" Through the massive windows, he saw archers appear almost instantly on the upper hull, illuminated by the torches some of them were carrying.

He heard footsteps on the metal stairs of the command platform and Viserys turned to see the crewman he had sent off with a uniform jacket draped over his arm, and Viserys' sword belt and a pair of boots in his hands.

The Mercenary King looked around, and seeing a momentary pause, accepted the items from the crewman. He pulled on the jacket and buttoned it as he continued to search the skies for the other fortresses. Next, he stepped into the boots, flexing his feet inside as the crewman returned to his station.

As he was buckling on his sword, he spotted a point of light descending under their cover in front of the ship. It was hard to make out in the darkness, but his sharp eyes were able to discern that one of the floating castles was attempting to go under the one he was using as cover. Viserys allowed himself to smile. Exactly what he was expecting it to do.

"Increase speed to eighty knots! Forward guns, fire!"

A barrage of bombs flew out, headed for their nemesis. Most were intercepted, again, but a few made it through, blowing holes in the gigantic enemy airship. He glanced to the side and saw the archers securing themselves to the deck railing, some of them already loosing arrows at the pursuing flock of Oocca.

"Prepare to release tow cables! Increase to one hundred knots!" There was a deep, growling rumble from the ship as this order was carried out. He would have to slow down soon if he didn't want to blow out the weakened engines.

Tyrone stood behind and to the left of him, and Viserys heard a short chuckle from the man as he realized what his commander was doing.

The floating castle in front of them was rising again, but it was too late. Viserys gave the order to release the cables and decrease speed back to fifty knots. The damaged fortress flew on without them, driven by the momentum of _Falcon's Pride_. The bridge crew watched in nervous anticipation as the captured Oocca fortress sped towards its functioning counterpart.

The target continued to rise, and for a moment, it looked like the wrecked fortress might miss. The functioning flying fortress started to maneuver out of the way, but Viserys knew it was to no avail.

A cheer went up among the crew as the two Oocca fortresses collided in a massive explosion that ripped both to pieces, the debris starting the long drop to the ocean. The two destroyed enemy vessels exploded a few more times on the way down, each successive explosion scattering the detrius farther over the water's surface.

Viserys' exultation was short-lived, as he turned his attention to how he would get rid of the other flying fortress.

* * *

The Hero's Company rose early the next day, eager to resume their journey. Raskys volunteered to cook breakfast, and the others packed up what they had taken out the night before.

Link went down to the river to wash up for the day, and as he was returning to the camp, Colin came up to him.

"Link, can you continue my sword lessons? I haven't had one in a long time." The boy absently plucked at the hem of his shirt as he spoke, looking up at Link.

The Hero laid his green tunic over a stump to dry. "Sure, Colin. Where did your dad leave off?"

"He was teaching me about defense." The boy had already cut a few branches off of a nearby fallen tree, and had selected one for himself. "He was showing me what to do if I don't have a shield."

Link picked up one of the sticks and twirled it through his fingers in a complicated pattern, which Colin attempted to duplicate. He was mostly successful, though his stick almost slipped out of his grasp.

"Now, I'm going to attack, and you just defend. Focus on blocking my strikes, and try to anticipate where I'm going to move my weapon next. Ready?" Link stretched his fingers, gripping his wooden stick like he would a very light sword.

The boy nodded and moved his stick into a guard position. Link stepped forward and sliced horizontally. Colin snapped up his stick and blocked the strike, his expression one of concentration. Link moved slowly through a series of attacks, gently finding the holes in Colin's defense and pointing out how to correct them. The other members of the Company busied themselves around the camp, but every once in a while, he saw one of them look up at them.

As they finished the lesson, Link clapped Colin on the shoulder. "Very good, Colin. If you keep up your practice, you'll be very good someday."

The boy looked up at him. "As good as you?"

Link laughed. "No doubt about it. But, even I have a long way to go to be a true master."

Colin looked at him in disbelief. "You're the Hero of all of Hyrule! You've got to be the best there is."

The Hero was silent for a moment as he thought about all the opponents he had faced and bested. He looked down at Colin, and motioned the boy to sit down next to him on a large rock.

"I may be good at what I do, but I wouldn't say I'm the best there is. I have been blessed by the Goddesses, and that's what gives me my power." Link held up his left hand so Colin could see the Triforce marking. "Arnak, Princess Zelda, and I have all been gifted with a piece of the Triforce. We could possibly be the three most powerful individuals in the world, if we all used our pieces to their fullest extent. But, our power gives us a great responsibility. If the Triforce pieces are misused, it could bring disaster. You remember when the Twilight took over Hyrule, Colin. That was caused by the previous bearer of Arnak's piece of the Triforce, Ganondorf. What do you suppose would happen if any of the three of us tried to use our power to do something like that?"

Colin was quiet for a moment as he thought about what Link said. "The other two would have to stop you with their power, like you and the Princess did with Ganondorf."

"That's right. Those who are strong have a duty to protect those who are weak. That's why I've accepted being the Hero, Colin, because I was chosen to bear the Triforce of Courage. Do you want to know something?" Colin nodded and Link continued. "I would much rather stay in Ordon and tend the goats than travel and fight monsters."

Colin looked surprised. "Really? I thought you liked being the Hero."

Link shrugged. "I do. There are plenty of things I like about what I do. But that's not my point. My point is, if I wanted to, I could choose to stay in Ordon and tend the goats instead of protecting Hyrule. But, since I have the ability to defend Hyrule, it's my duty to make the choice to fight for the people. And that comes back to what you are learning about the sword. Anyone can learn how to use a sword and become good at fighting. But, to become a true warrior, you have to learn that it is the duty of those who can defend themselves to protect those who can't. And never assume that you're as good as you can be. You can always get better. Do you understand?"

Colin nodded. "My dad says things like that sometimes. He says I should look to you as an example." The boy looked at his sword, leaning on Link's shield on the ground, a few feet away. "Thanks for letting me come along, Link. And thanks for teaching me."

Link patted Colin's shoulder. "Of course. Now, I think breakfast is almost ready. Go see if you can help Raskys with anything." He smiled as the boy ran off to where the ranger sat at the fire.

The Hero felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Midna smiling down at him. "That's awfully profound, coming from somebody who can't even grow a real beard yet." She playfully tapped his cheek, which sported a thin growth of stubble.

Link was vaguely insulted. "That doesn't make it any less true."

"I know. But try and go a little easier on him. He's still young and innocent, even with all he's been through. Don't make him grow up too fast."

They looked over at Colin as the boy laughed at a joke Raskys told him. Midna patted his shoulder again. "He hasn't been through what you've been through, Link. He's never had to face his own death, or take another being's life. He doesn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders, like you do, and he doesn't really have any responsibilities. Let him stay carefree for a while."

Link looked up at his friend. "When did you get so serious?"

Midna smiled. "I don't know, maybe the kid's bringing out my parental instincts or something. I guess I'm telling you this because I'm feeling protective of him. He's like a kid brother to the whole group, you know?" She playfully punched his shoulder. "Or maybe I don't want him to be a hardened warrior like you yet." She smirked. "Or should I say 'grizzled', with this impressive face fur you've got going here? You're almost as fuzzy as when you're a wolf." She reached down and pinched one of his chin hairs.

"Ouch!" He playfully swiped at her hand. "You'd better watch yourself. I don't care if you are a princess." He grinned and jokingly shook his fist at her.

She bowed mockingly. "A thousand apologies, Your Hairiness." Her voice was exaggeratedly imperious.

Link chuckled. "Come on, I think breakfast is ready."

As they made their way over to the rest of the Company, Link thought about what had been said. He wondered if it had been a good idea to bring Colin along. He didn't know what they would encounter on their journey to stop their enemy, and he didn't want to be responsible for making Colin face the harsh realities of the world before he was ready.

The boy had to grow up sometime, but it didn't have to be now.

* * *

Ashei squinted through the goggles on her mask at the whitened landscape around her. It was hard to see anything through the whirling snow, and she could barely make out the shapes of her companions around her.

Several of the men that had been with Arnak were traveling with her and Auru through Snowpeak Mountain, bound for the ruined mansion said to be nestled somewhere on the frozen peak. The older man said there was something in the mansion he needed to see, and that was enough reason for Ashei to go with him. They had only spent a couple of days in the Kokiri Forest, but she needed to get out of there and do something. She had been half tempted to ask to go along with Link and all those people, just so she could feel like she was accomplishing something.

Waiting around to get saved was not in Ashei's personality.

The man named Ivan had sent two of his group, Kraytos and Eddard, with them, and when they had reached Zora's Domain, they had met up with another group of Arnak's men. Their commander was named Cassius, and he had been a nice enough fellow. He had sent two of the warriors in his group, named Berethor and Elegost, with them, after they gave him directions to the temple in Faron Woods and how to get to the Kokiri Forest.

The group had been careful to steer clear of Castle Town, since there was still an Oocca fortress hovering over the castle, casting a permanent night on the captured city. Ashei thought how disappointed Shad must be, to learn that the Sky People he had spent so long questing after were really a race of conquerors. She just hoped Link found a way to defeat them, and fast.

They were all bundled up in cloaks and heavy clothes, with their provisions tucked inside their tunics to keep the supplies from freezing. King Ralis had been kind enough to offer their group whatever supplies they needed before they set off, and Ashei thought they must have cleaned him out.

The air had been cold and clear as they made their way across the frozen river and struggled their way up the side of the mountain, but as they neared the top, a sudden blizzard had seized them, and now they huddled against a cliff under an overhang, waiting out the storm. Ashei had grown up in the mountains near here, and she was used to this kind of thing. She could wait here for the rest of the day, if need be.

It had been difficult getting this far, what with the deep snow and the almost constant Wolfos attacks. The group had had to stop and fight a pack of the things three times on their ascent. If any of them wanted to turn back, they didn't say so, however. The group kept going, all of them determined to reach their destination. No cowards in this bunch, Ashei thought.

As the storm started to thin out, she thought she saw a massive shape moving off in the distance. Ashei focused her attention on it, waiting to see if it was a threat. As it grew closer, she made out more details, and gradually, she was able to identify the shape. It was a gigantic furry white creature with a saddle on its head. Where it had gotten the saddle, and more importantly, why it was wearing the thing on its head, she didn't know. Ashei recognized it as the beast of Snowpeak, a Yeti. Judging by the odd head ornament, it was probably the same one she had seen almost a year ago near here, the one she'd told Link about.

It was leaping through the snow, headed right for them, but the Yeti didn't seem to see their group. It was laughing, a deep, booming sound. Since Link had told the group that met in Telma's Bar that he had encountered this Yeti near the ruined mansion, and that the creature and its mate had taken up residence there, Ashei thought that it might be able to help them.

She stood up, motioning the others to do the same. The Yeti stopped suddenly, looked at them, and with two great leaps, he was standing in front of them, towering over the group.

He was huge, easily eight feet tall, with thick white fur and curious, intelligent eyes. "**Humans, uh? Four, five, six! Why humans come to snows?**" The Yeti was loud, but not threatening.

The four warriors had their hands on their weapons underneath their cloaks, but Ashei gestured behind her back at them, motioning them to keep their hands in the open. It probably wasn't a good idea to startle the creature. Ashei didn't know much about Yetis, just what her father had told her. He hadn't had much contact with them, either.

"We've come to see your house. Link sent us, yeah?" Ashei shouted through the wind. It wasn't exactly true, but the Yeti probably knew who Link was. Auru nodded beside her, silently reinforcing her statement.

"**Link, uh! Yeto knows him! He take bad mirror piece! He here?**" The Yeti peered closer at the group, shading his eyes with a massive, stubby-fingered hand.

Ashei shook her head. "No. We're friends of his."

Yeto clapped her on the shoulder and almost knocked her down. "**Link do Yeto big favor, uh! He get rid of mirror, make monsters go away! Any friend of Link is friend of Yeto!**" The beast-man waved at the group to follow him. "**Come with Yeto! I make you hot meal. You like fish?**"

Ashei nodded. "Sure." It wasn't like they had a choice. It was either follow the Yeti or freeze.

"**Follow Yeto, then. I take you to house, make you fish soup. Maybe you race Yeto?**" The gigantic beast-man said the last part with a twinkle in his eye.

Ashei wasn't sure what he meant, but she nodded anyway. If Link could handle being around this creature, she shouldn't have any problem. The other members of the group followed as she walked after the Yeti, headed deeper into the mountains.

* * *

The Hero's Company made almost forty miles that day, following the river, and stopped a couple of hours before dark at a flat place next to the bank.

A few of the members went off to find firewood or edible plants, but Link stayed behind with Colin for another sword lesson. Surprisingly, Midna asked him if she could participate. Colin was surprised, since he thought Midna already knew all about swords.

"I may have some of my powers back," she said, "but it wouldn't hurt for me to really learn how to use this thing." She patted the Twilight Blade at her side. "I picked up most of what I know from watching you, so it couldn't hurt to have some formal lessons."

"All right, that's fair." Link drew the Master Sword and held it loosely in his left hand. "We aren't going to spar right now, so draw your swords." As they did so, Link twirled the hilt of the sacred weapon through his fingers in a fast infinity arc, the blade almost singing as it whooshed through the air. "An important step in fighting with the sword is knowing your weapon. Your sword should almost feel like an extension of your arm, and you should be able to control it as you would a body member. I'm going to show you a series of dexterity exercises, which Midna has already seen me practice, so she probably knows them."

The Twilight Princess nodded and moved her sword in a slower version of the infinity arc Link had just demonstrated. As Colin watched, the blue-green gem set into the hilt glowed slightly, and traced a glowing path in the air as the sword spun. Midna turned to him and smiled. "Now you try it."

Colin gripped the leather-wrapped hilt of his sword, a shorter version of the Ordon swords his father made. He slowly twirled the blade through the air, keeping a tight grip.

Link repeated his arc, faster and more complicated, spinning the hilt through his fingers almost too fast for Colin to follow. He watched in amazement as the Hero kicked a fallen tree branch in the air and sliced at it several times. It looked like Link had missed, and the branch dropped to the ground apparently intact. When it hit the ground, however, it split into four equal pieces. Colin laughed in amazement, and Link smiled.

"When you get a little better, I'll teach you how to do that. It's useful for more than showing off."

Midna smirked. "You did nothing but practice with your weapons while I was gone, didn't you? You weren't anywhere near that good when we met."

Colin saw this as a opportunity. "How did you meet Link, anyway? He never talked about you." He sheathed his sword, more interested in her answer than continuing the lesson.

She looked at Link. "Do you want me to tell him? You're going to have to explain some things if I do."

Link looked over at the rest of the camp. He was quiet for a long moment. "Go ahead," he said finally, putting away the Master Sword.

Midna sheathed her own weapon and sat down on a fallen log, gathering her robe about her. Colin sat down next to her, and Link sat on his other side.

"As you already know," Midna began, "I'm not from this world. I'm from a place called the Twilight Realm. It's very different from Hyrule, and most of the time, things from these two worlds can't mix.

"I am the Princess of that world, and I rule it, kind of like Zelda does with Hyrule. About a year ago, my father, the King of Twilight, died, and I was all set to take over the leadership of the Twilight Realm. But, my cousin Zant said that my father had named _him_ as the next ruler, instead of me. He was lying, but it's too complicated to explain why right now. Are you following me so far?"

Colin nodded, eager to hear the rest of the story, and she continued.

"When I confronted Zant about it, he used his magic to transform me into an ugly little creature and he banished me from the Twilight Realm. I had to go into hiding for a while, until he started spreading Twilight across Hyrule. I followed one of his groups of creatures here and started to look for a way to stop him and take back my kingdom.

"After a couple of weeks of wandering around in the Twilight-covered Hyrule, I got inside the castle and met with Princess Zelda. She told me about the Triforce, among other things, and asked me to go find the bearer of the Triforce of Courage."

"Link!" said Colin, smiling as he glanced over at the Hero. He simply nodded silently and looked back up at Midna. Colin turned around as she started talking again.

"I sensed some activity down in Faron Woods, and I found one of Zant's monsters dragging an unconscious wolf along. I could tell this was no ordinary wolf, since it was in the Twilight and hadn't been turned into some kind of twisted monster. As I followed the monster, I figured out that the wolf was the Bearer of Courage, and his dormant Triforce had protected him from being turned into a worse creature than he was.

"When Zant's monsters threw the wolf into the castle dungeons, I knew that I could get him to help me. I got him out of the dungeons, and took him to see Princess Zelda. She told us to find a way to get rid of the Twilight, and that's what we did. The rest is too long and complicated for me to go over right now, but if you want, and if Link will let me, I'll tell you more about it as we go along." She looked over at the Hero. "Is that all right, Link?"

Link nodded. "He has a right to know. I probably should have told you already, Colin. But, I've never really talked about my journey with anybody except Midna and Princess Zelda."

Colin looked over at Link. "My dad and Mayor Bo say they saw a huge wolf in the village after the other kids got kidnapped. Was that you?"

The Hero sighed quietly, but Midna answered for him. "It was, but he had a good reason. I made him go back for a sword and shield for when he got turned back into his normal self. I'm sorry if we scared anyone now, but I was... different then."

Any further questions Colin had were interrupted by the announcement that the meal was ready. The three of them went to the fire, and sat down to eat. As the rest of the Hero's Company talked over their dinners, Colin decided to save his questions for the next part of Midna's story. He had quite a few.

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter was pretty big when I wrote it out, so I divided it in half. I'm sorry if it seems choppy, but Chapter 16 will up soon, since I have most of it finished already. Please tell me if you noticed any continuity errors or awkward sentences, so I can record them in my notes. Once I finish the story, I'm planning on going back through it and polishing it up a little more, fixing any bad descriptions or errors. None of the plot will be changed, just some minor improvements. And, as always, tell me what you think!

(Revision Note: The usual stuff; fixed a few errors, smoothed out a few awkward sentences, and other minor polishing.)


	16. Adventures on the Mountain

Sixteen

As the Company settled down to eat their dinner, Majacen spoke up. "What shall I tell you tonight?"

Arnak rubbed his chin through his thick dark beard. "I think you should continue your story from yesterday, about the Swords of the Gods. I have heard nothing of these, so perhaps you should tell us where you learned this information after you finish the story."

The old wizard set his bowl aside, having already finished. He brushed the crumbs out of his long graying beard and cleared his throat, adopting his storytelling tone. "Where did I leave off? Oh, yes, I was telling you about how the swords worked. Midna, may I borrow your weapon for a moment?" He held out his hand to the Twilight Princess.

Midna unbuckled the Twilight Blade's scabbard from her belt and handed the sword to the wizard. She noticed that he did not touch the hilt, and only held the weapon by the scabbard.

"All Swords of the Gods are of this template, though the colors may vary. It is part of their power. Any sword may activate any of the portals, though most of them remain in their respective worlds." He gestured at the hilt of the sword as he spoke, indicating the dark gray and black hilt, and the blue-green gem set into it.

"So there are more of these swords besides the Master Sword and the Twilight Blade?" Link asked.

Majacen nodded. "Several more, that I know of. At least three, possibly more. This does not include the weapon Ganondorf made for himself. It is not an original Sword of the Gods, but seems to function as one. At any rate, about the genuine swords, once the portals fell into disuse, the swords retained their power, but were forgotten by the people of the various realms.

"Over time, the Master Sword was discovered by the Heroes of Hyrule, and they used it in the capacity you know. As I have said before, the portal in what was the Temple of Time was redirected long before the First Hero found the Master Sword. I do not know who redirected the portal, only that it was done. The Goddesses themselves may have done it, to grant access to the Sacred Realm by those who they deemed worthy to enter it. Or to keep those they deemed unworthy out, though that seal has not proved to be inviolable. The adventures of the Hero of Time prove this. That is not the point of this particular tale, though I may tell that one to you sometime.

"As Midna no doubt noticed when she used this sword in the room she found it in, she came to a room under the castle that did not have a pedestal in it." Majacen held up the Twilight Blade. "It is my theory that when the portal in the Temple of Time was redirected, the portal in the Twilight Realm was also redirected, to go to the chamber you found. There are those who disagree with me on this, but I believe that the Goddesses themselves were responsible for this shuffling, so that all contact could not be cut off between their worlds.

"As the Sheikah have discovered, there are several other routes to the Twilight Realm from Hyrule besides the Mirror of Twilight." Midna saw Erik nod at this. "Most of these only go one way, so as to prevent the Twili from escaping."

Midna opened her mouth to say something, but Majacen looked over at her. "I am aware that the modern Twili are almost nothing like your ancestors, Midna, but these portals were changed after your ancestors were banished. As I am sure Erik can tell you, only one of these remains in its original condition."

The Sheikah nodded again. "That was the one I used to visit the Twilight Realm."

Midna again opened her mouth to say something, and again Majacen interrupted. "That is a tale for another time. For now, I would like to continue telling you about the Swords of the Gods, if that is all right with you?" He looked at Midna as he said this, and something in his gaze said that he would talk to her later about her questions. She nodded silently, ignoring the questioning look Link gave her.

"Once a Sword of the Gods has accepted someone as its bearer, it will not allow anyone else to wield it as long as that person is alive and is still worthy of using it. An interesting effect of this is the fact that the swords will allow other bearers to touch them. A being of great power may be able to overcome this protection, but the sword will resist being used by anyone but its master." He handed the Twilight Blade back to Midna.

Link looked over at Midna as she took it. "That explains why Nemo was able to use the Twilight Blade for a while."

"But," she replied, "did you see the way it was twitching in his hand the whole time? Somehow, it knew he was going to try and use it against me and was trying to get away from him."

Raskys snorted. "You're telling me your sword is alive? That's a little too strange to believe, and I've seen a lot of strange things."

Majacen glared at the ranger. "There are many magical items in the Goddesses' creation, Master Raskys, that are beyond mortal understanding. The Swords of the Gods are not living beings, such as you and I, but they have a measure of awareness. They were gifted with this power by whoever forged them, and it is how they choose who bears them. It is a serious duty to bear a Sword of the Gods, and it should not be made light of."

Raskys raised his hands, as if warding off the wizard's words. "Okay, I get it. Continue."

Majacen adjusted the way his ornately engraved longsword was hanging on his belt as he shifted on the rock he was sitting on. "About the Sword of Darkness, the copy of the Master Sword that Ganondorf forged, there is little I know about it that you do not already. I do know that he forged it out of leftover material from making his fourth Triforce piece. He imbued it with what he thought was enough power to overcome the Master Sword, should it ever be used against him again."

"And now it is missing," Arnak said, twirling one of his throwing knives through his fingers. "Someone stole it from the Gerudo at some point after they captured the Antihero. This is a troubling development."

Zelda spoke for the first time in this conversation. "The Sages mentioned that the Hero did not permanently destroy the Dark Lord. Perhaps Ganondorf is gathering his weapons back to him in preparation for another assault."

Majacen shook his head. "That cannot be. Ganondorf was so weakened by his defeat by the Hero of Light that he cannot take physical form. He is trapped, incorporeal and impotent. At best, he would be able to appear as some sort of energy creature, at a fraction of his power."

Midna saw Arnak frown. "So that creature I fought in the castle dungeons was Ganondorf?"

Zelda nodded. "The Hero and I fought it after you fell unconscious. We were able to dispel the monster with Light Arrows."

Majacen smiled. "It is likely you further weakened him, then. I would be surprised if he was able to appear in even that form for a very long time."

"Then who is helping the Oocca?" Link said. "The monsters I fought in Castle Town turned into smoke after I defeated them. I thought only Ganon's creatures did that."

The wizard was thoughtful for a moment. "Beings tainted with shadow magic turn into smoke when they are defeated. It is the result of the shadow taint being released from them, and this usually destroys the remains. The Dark Lord himself cannot be controlling the Oocca. That would take power he does not possess at this time. Perhaps there is another mage, incredibly powerful and skilled in the dark arts, that is directing the Oocca invasion."

The Hero's Company fell silent at this implication. Who else could possibly match Ganondorf's power?

* * *

Viserys rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He had successfully destroyed one of the Oocca flying fortresses, but there was still another, relatively undamaged. He couldn't repeat his earlier trick; there wasn't enough debris left at this altitude, and besides, he was positive that wouldn't work again.

The Mercenary King had a sudden flash of insight. He turned to Tyrone and told him he had the bridge. "I'm going down to the main battery control room. Continue evasive maneuvers until I'm ready."

"Yes, sir." The usual captain of the flagship took his accustomed post as Viserys left the bridge, headed for the medical bay first.

He could feel the ship maneuvering as he walked, and he heard the sharp reports of the cannons launching their bombs. He passed wounded crewmen on cots in the halls, overflowing out of the medical bay. The ship's healers were working as fast as they could, but he saw several bodies covered with sheets already.

He saw Philos, a bandage wrapped around the cut on his leg, moving around behind the healers, doing whatever he could to help.

Viserys touched the scientist's arm. "Come with me, Philos. I have need of your knowledge."

The scientist reluctantly put down the bandages and followed Viserys as he strode out of the medical bay, his long legs carrying him faster than Philos could keep up with without running.

"What do you need of me, sir?" Philos said, almost jogging beside Viserys.

"Do you remember the exact location of the crystal room?"

"I… well, er, yes, I believe I do."

The Mercenary King rounded a corner, speeding up and forcing Philos to actually break into a jog now. "Could you find it from the outside?"

"I think so, yes."

Viserys stopped suddenly and turned to face Philos. "You think, or you know? We're only going to get one shot at this, and if we hit in the wrong place, it will be that much more difficult to win the battle."

The smaller man straightened. "Yes, sir. I know I can find it."

"Good. We're here."

They walked into the main battery control room, which was a long, wide room stretching nearly the whole width of the main body of the ship. Men and women were frantically loading bombs into cannons and firing at the enemy vessel. In the middle of the room was a platform like the one in the bridge, with a similar network of metal tubes that went to the other cannon rooms.

The cannon master, an older man with sun-darkened skin and iron-gray hair, turned at their approach. "Sir! What is it you need?"

Viserys gestured to the scientist beside him. "Philos knows a weak spot, and he is going to help us fire a tracer into it. Which of your cannons is the most accurate?"

"That one." The cannon master pointed at the cannon in the very middle of the forward row.

"Thank you." Viserys led Philos to the cannon, and ordered the two crewmen manning it to put in a tracer. A tracer was a bomb casing full of brightly colored paint, sometimes phosphorescent, and was used to give the other gunners a target on which to concentrate fire.

Viserys directed the cannon master to focus fire away from where the tracer was headed. He didn't want this shot intercepted. The two gunners helped Philos aim for the crystal room, and once the scientist was sure he had the right location, they launched the tracer. Viserys watched as a bright green spot appeared on the Oocca fortress, glowing dully, but still readily visible in the darkness.

The ship shook with the return fire, and behind him, Viserys heard the cannon master shout for all cannons to concentrate fire on the tracer. As he watched, the barrage increased twofold, and from the direction of the fire, not all of it was coming from _Falcon's Pride_.

The guns of Falcon's Pride continued to pump bombs into the flying fortress, most of them being intercepted by the enemy cannons. The flagship started a turn so that the side-mounted cannons could fire more effectively. Another set of explosions on the other side of the enemy vessel from the flagship drew Viserys' attention, and cemented the fact that there was another ship out there.

Viserys strained his eyes, searching the darkness for another shape against the stars. Luck was with him, and the mystery ship flew in front of the moon, the great winged outline identifying it as another of his ships. It was smaller than _Falcon's Pride_, and the wings were angled further back for greater maneuverability. It was using the propeller system, so it had to be one of the newer vessels.

Leaving Philos behind, Viserys sprinted back up to the bridge to verify the ship's identity. Strange things had been happening recently, and he wanted to make sure this wasn't some kind of trick.

As Viserys entered the bridge, he saw Tyrone talking into the ship's Communication Stone. The captain turned to face the Admiral.

"It's Captain Santos of the _Raven_, sir. He says he saw the explosion, and he came to investigate."

Viserys motioned Captain Tyrone aside and addressed the Communication Stone. "I thank you for joining us, Captain. I trust the journey wasn't too difficult?" He waited to hear the appropriate response to the code phrase.

"Nothing worth mentioning, sir. We'll need fresh supplies soon, though."

Viserys smiled grimly. This was indeed Captain Santos, and he was in full control of his faculties. "Concentrate all fire on the tracer. Try to draw their fire, since we're damaged. We'll back you up."

"Yes, sir. You can count on us!" The stone fell silent, but the glow did not fade, indicating the connection was still open.

The two airships unleashed barrage after barrage of bombs at the Oocca fortress, and as Viserys observed, the glowing patch of hull steadily shrank as more and more shots made it through and hit the target. The enemy vessel fired back at both of them, but_ Raven_ was too quick, and it dodged the enemy barrage. The more heavily armored and less maneuverable _Falcon's Pride_ continued to soak up enemy fire, periodically shaking with the explosions.

After one particularly fierce fusillade from the _Raven_ into the target point, the Oocca vessel fell silent, not returning their fire. The two warships continued to fire bombs into the enemy vessel, now causing more and more damage with their shots no longer being deflected.

"Fire at will, all guns fire at will!" Viserys barked into the tube to the cannon rooms. The gunners stopped focusing on the crystal room on the enemy fortress and started blasting away at the entire vessel.

Every part of the enemy airship became pockmarked with craters from the explosives, and it slowly began to crumble under the blistering assault. Some of the Oocca cannons started back up again, but it was too little, too late. The Balacruf ships swooped around and around the Oocca fortress, their guns firing whenever they came to bear on the enemy ship.

Captain Santos was the first to spot the explosion starting in the center of the enemy vessel, and he called for both ships to swerve off. As _Falcon's Pride_ flew away from the Oocca castle, Viserys watched it through the bridge windows. The entire mile-wide fortress disappeared in a gigantic fireball, flaring up like a miniature sun.

Viserys averted his eyes, looking back up when the glow had faded. He knew that his ships hadn't done that much damage to the enemy vessel. He'd seen them do this before. The Oocca commander had activated some kind of self-destruct, rather than let his ship fall into Viserys' hands.

He turned to the Communication Stone again. "Your timing was most fortuitous, Captain. You are to be commended."

The voice on the other end chuckled briefly. "Just repaying the favor, sir. We'll escort you the rest of the way."

"My thanks, Captain."

Viserys stepped away from the stone, and turned to look at the flaming wreckage slowly dropping to the ocean below. He was disappointed that he no longer had an Oocca vessel to study, but he had learned some valuable information about his enemy.

As _Falcon's Pride_ and _Raven_ set course for the nearest airbase, Viserys reflected that the battle had been won, but the war was far from over. But, with this new information, it might be over a little sooner than he had anticipated.

* * *

Ashei and the others stood at the top of Snowpeak Mountain, where some of the most beautiful scenery in the world could be seen. The awesome snowy grandeur of these mountains had inspired many a poet in Hyrule, but none of those poems were what Ashei was thinking of right now.

Instead, she was glaring up at the eight-foot-tall Yeti who stood in front of her. "You want us to do _what_?"

The beast-man gestured at the frozen leaf sitting on the ground between them. "**Sleds! It nice weather for it! Fastest way to get home, too!**"

She heard the other members of her little group rustling and clanking as they secured their armor and weapons in preparation for the descent to the ruined mansion.

She looked up at the Yeti doubtfully. "Did you make Link do this?"

"**Oh ho! Link good at sleds. He beat Yeto! He even beat Yeta, and she faster than Yeto!**" The Yeti chortled at this, the saddle on his head rattling and rustling. Ashei still wondered where he had gotten the thing, but she hadn't bothered to ask him.

Ashei glanced behind her at Auru. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

He gave her an amused smile. "I am sure I can handle it. The question is, can you?" His dark eyes twinkled as he said this.

"If Link can do it, I'm sure we can, too." She turned back to Yeto. "All right, let's go. What do we do?"

Yeto punched the frozen tree next to them until six more leaves fell off. She could see at least a dozen more points on the abused tree where he had knocked leaves off previously, though new leaves were growing back. Mountain plants were very hardy, she thought.

"**Easy! Slide on leaf and don't hit wall! Follow Yeto!**" The Yeti jumped on one of the leaves and took off, sliding down the slope at an incredible rate of speed.

Surprisingly, Auru was the next down the slope, and from the way he leaned to control his leaf-board, Ashei was sure he had done this before.

The other warriors followed Ashei as she took off running and threw her frozen leaf down on the snow, leaping onto it. She spread her arms to try and balance herself as she began to pick up speed.

Ashei quickly learned how to balance to control the direction she slid, and she made the first turn without any problems. She heard a yell and a crash behind her, and she risked a quick glance to see one of the warriors accompanying her picking himself up from the snow and shaking himself off.

She returned her attention to her own slide, and crouched down as she was briefly airborne, flying over a rickety wooden bridge. She tensed the muscles in her legs, absorbing the impact as she hit the snow again, continuing to pick up speed.

One of the warriors -she thought it was Kraytos- flew past her, whooping wildly as his green cloak flared out behind him. He even dared a flip in the air, landing solidly again.

Ashei allowed herself to smile. This _was_ fun.

She saw that the ground was about to drop away in front of her, and she could see treetops ahead.

Ashei dropped all the way to the ground, dodging trees along the way, but overhead, she could see Kraytos touching down on packs of snow in the treetops and then taking off again.

"Show-off!" she called to him. She heard him laugh by way of response.

Behind her, the other three warriors were keeping pace, though one of them seemed to be having trouble controlling his slide.

As they left the trees, she saw the path narrow and pass under a bridge-like outcropping. Feeling the cold wind pulling at her cloak and clothes, Ashei steered under it, swerving around blocks of ice.

She started the long turn, looking for the others ahead of her. She could see Auru sliding around the far edge of the turn and starting the next part of the path, while Yeto and Kraytos were nowhere to be seen.

Out of nowhere, Kraytos suddenly flew right over her head, startling her momentarily. As Ashei recovered, she saw the massive mansion off in the distance. She was too busy to look at it for very long, but she did note that it looked like Hylian architecture.

Ashei negotiated the final stretch of turns, almost skidding into the wall at one point, and suddenly she was there, sliding to a stop at the base of the mansion. Her leaf-board shattered as soon as it hit the stone, and she rolled for a short distance, coming out on her feet.

She walked over to where Auru, Kraytos and the Yeti stood, waiting for the others to arrive.

The other three members of their little group came speeding in -with varying degrees of control- one by one, until all of them stood at the small stone courtyard, looking up at the ruined old mansion.

"Where did this place come from?" one of the warriors asked. Ashei thought the man's name was Elegost, but she hadn't taken the time to get to know any of the men with her and Auru. "How did they get the materials this deep in the mountains?" He turned to Eddard. "I can't see anyone sliding supplies down that slope. It wouldn't be practical, would it?"

The other man shrugged. "There might have been a road, once. There was a bridge back there, and someone had to have built that."

"**Was road, uh! Long time ago, Yeto saw humans come to house. Then big storm make them leave, and no one come back. Yeto moved in after that.**" The beast-man shrugged his massive furry shoulders. "**Shame to waste nice house. Better than cave, uh.**" The Yeti laughed and clapped Ashei on the shoulder, again almost knocking her to the ground.

Auru looked up at the Yeti. "When was the road destroyed?"

"**Too cold for humans out here. Come inside, sit next to fire. Yeto tell you all about it.**" The Yeti moved up the steps and opened the door, hunching over to fit inside.

The group followed him, shaking off the snow as they entered the old, frozen building. Despite the ice coating part of the floor in the entry hall, it was quite a bit warmer in here than outside, Ashei thought.

She lowered her hood and pulled off the mask she had been wearing, holding it under one arm as she looked around.

A few suits of armor lined the first part of the hall, though a few had collapsed and lay in a pile on the floor. Beyond that, the hall opened up and she saw two grand staircases, one on each side of the room. Both were smashed and unusable, though she did note a crude, Yeti-proportioned ladder propped up in the ruins of the left-hand staircase. A few flakes of snow were drifting in through a gigantic hole in the ceiling, and ice coated the floor under the hole. There were several large paintings on the wall, and several more on the floor or leaning against what was left of the staircases.

Ashei peered closer at the portraits of some nobles on the left wall. She thought they looked a lot like Link, especially the eyes. There was sort of a family resemblance, as if the man and woman in the portraits might be related to the Hero somehow.

She shook her head. The paintings were old and cracked from being exposed to the cold for so long. It was probably just her imagination. She dismissed the thought from her mind, but she did notice Auru looking at the portraits thoughtfully.

They followed Yeto into the next room, stopping when he bellowed that he was home as he opened the door. A quieter, feminine voice answered him, and as the Yeti moved out of the way, Ashei saw another Yeti, this one a female wrapped in some sort of coat or blanket. She was sitting next to a fireplace, which radiated warmth through the small room. It looked like it had been a sitting room at one point, and it was still intact, but the furniture was all piled up next to the fireplace. There were a few bookcases, and some of them still had books in them, as well as candles and various other objects left behind by the original owners.

"**These friends of Link, Yeta. They come for visit, I think.**" He turned back to Ashei and her group. "**Stay here next to fire, uh. I get you soup.**" The Yeti stomped off to one of the other doors in the room, and he left it open after he went inside, humming noisily. Ashei could see a kitchen, with another fire burning under a giant cauldron. Whatever was cooking did smell good, though. Sort of like cheese, Ashei thought.

"Husband makes good soup, uh. Get chair, warm up." The female Yeti was much smaller than Yeto, only slightly larger than a human.

As Ashei, Auru, and the four warriors pulled chairs out of the pile of furniture and sat down next to the fire, Yeta looked them over.

"Long way for little humans to walk, uh. Why you come here? Only other human we see Link, and he say he come here for mirror. What you come here for, uh? Mirror gone, Link took it."

Auru looked up at Yeta as he held his hands over the fire. "Do you or your husband know who built this house?"

The Yeti shook her head. "This house here for long time, uh. It sit empty almost whole time, though. Yeto saw humans come here once, but they left after big storm. Yeto said it waste for house to keep being empty, so we moved in."

"Yes, that's what he said earlier. How long ago did Yeto see the humans?" Auru flexed his fingers as he spoke.

Ashei took off her gauntlets and set them by the iron grating in front of the fireplace to dry, stretching her legs out in front of her.

Yeta leaned over towards the kitchen. "Yeto! How long since humans leave?"

"**Hmm. Fifteen snows, maybe? Long time, uh!**" Yeto stooped under the doorframe, holding a tray. He handed a bowl of steaming soup to Ashei, Auru, and Eddard, then went back into the kitchen to get more.

Ashei saw there were no spoons, so she drank the soup out of the bowl. It had an interesting flavor, tasting mostly of cheese, -though she couldn't fathom where the Yeti had gotten it from- and fish. The Yeti had to have been a pretty good chef, to make it taste this good. It was a surprising skill, for a beast-man.

Auru's bowl continued to sit untouched in his lap, his brow furrowed in thought. "Fifteen years. I never heard of there ever being a mansion in these mountains, though I do remember hearing about some sort of expedition about twenty years ago. It's possible they came through here. What was his name?" he said to himself.

As Auru fell silent in thought, Ashei turned to Yeta. "Did you ever find any bodies in here?"

The Yeti shook her head again, and answered as Yeto brought out the rest of the soup. "No, no bodies. Nothing here but us until Yeto find mirror, uh. Then monsters appear, but those go away when Link took mirror. What you looking for here?" Yeto plopped himself down next to his wife, making the room shake a little.

Ashei turned to Auru. "What _are_ we looking for? I don't think you ever told me."

She heard one of the warriors snort behind her. It was Berethor, and he had a look of disbelief in his blue eyes. "You climbed all the way up the side of this mountain without knowing why? You must really like the old guy."

Kraytos shoved his shoulder lightly. "You don't know, either."

"I know they're paying us to protect them, and that's good enough for me." Berethor took a long gulp of his soup, slurping noisily.

It was Elegost's turn to scoff. "They aren't paying us. Cassius sent us with them as a good faith gesture. He says Arnak told him not to charge anybody who asks us for help until he says so." The brown-haired warrior punched Berethor's shoulder, grinning. "Besides, why do you care about money? It's not like you ever spend it on anything."

"Gentlemen, may I interrupt?" Auru said, smiling lightly. It was obviously a rhetorical question, since he continued almost immediately. "I came here because I recognized the floor plan of this manor as classic Old Hylian architecture." He held up the map Link had given him. "I have been puzzling over what he told me since he gave me this map, and now is the earliest opportunity I had to investigate.

"Regrettably, all the survivors of Hyrule are now in the Kokiri Forest. They have no contact with the outside world, and that is both a blessing and a curse to them. I organized this expedition mainly to see what state Hyrule was in on the way here, and I also wanted to see this place with my own eyes. From what Link described, I thought that there might be vitally needed supplies here, and I wanted to see if there was any practical way to get them to the survivors."

Berethor scoffed again. "What supplies? Cheese soup?" He turned to Yeto. "Which is very good, by the way. Thank you." The Yeti nodded.

Auru chuckled as he shook his head. "No, my boy. Link described several armories, including a few cannons. The day will soon come when it is time to take back our realm from the invaders, and any weapons we can get are vitally needed." The older man looked up at Yeto. "Assuming we can have them, of course."

The Yeti laughed, the saddle on his head rattling with his movement. "**Take all the weapons you want, humans. Yeto doesn't want them. Whatever you need from house, take. More room for Yetis that way!**" Yeto laughed again.

Ashei stood. "Well, let's get started, then. No point in wasting time, yeah?" The rest of the group stood, and followed Yeto out to explore the rest of the mansion.

* * *

The next morning, as the various members of the Hero's Company rose from where they had slept, Zelda helped Majacen organize breakfast.

Arnak volunteered to catch some fish, and when Link offered him a fishing rod, the big man just chuckled and said he didn't need it. As he walked down to the river, the Bearer of Power stretched and turned into a gigantic grizzly bear, jumping into the water. He had told the Company about this ability of his, so none of them were shocked, but it was still a little surprising to watch him do it.

Hyrule's Princess remembered that he said he had no explanation for his transformation ability, and he thought it had something to do with his Triforce. She also recalled that the Hero could turn into a wolf. Zelda idly wondered if she herself possessed a similar power, but dismissed the thought. If she had such a power, she probably would have discovered it already. But, Fate took strange turns with people's lives, and Triforce Bearers were no exception.

As she helped Majacen cook a stew made from leftovers from last night's dinner, Zelda thought it was refreshing to not have to make any decisions more vital than what to make for breakfast. She realized that as soon as a way to defeat the invaders was found, she would go back to being the ruler of a kingdom, with all the responsibilities that entailed, but for now, she enjoyed the somewhat simpler turn her life had taken.

Ordinary traveling clothes were infinitely more comfortable than all those elaborate pretty dresses, anyway. Zelda privately amused herself by enjoying the fact that she got to wear pants and boots instead of petticoats and slippers.

The princess returned her thoughts to serious things, such as what course the Hero's Company would take next. She turned to the wizard. "Where are we bound after we reach the city at this river's end, Majacen?

The old man pulled his long beard thoughtfully. "We will hire a ship to take us to the continent west of here, where we will meet up with the strongest opposition to the Oocca. They are a vast force of mercenaries, and their leader is a man named Viserys. He is a cunning tactician, and when we combine our knowledge with his, I am sure we will find a way to defeat our enemy."

"Speaking of enemies," Raskys said, sitting down next to them, "why did we leave Nemo with the Gerudo? He still has that Triforce of Shadow thing, doesn't he? That's not something to leave lying around."

Majacen frowned. "I'm afraid the Gerudo did not give us a choice in the matter, and I did not wish to argue with them. They did not proclaim themselves our allies, and most of the Gerudo would probably still consider us enemies. Their problems with Hyrule stretch farther back than Ganondorf's rule. Nabooru and her warriors could have kept us prisoner just as easily as the creature, may I remind you."

"Probably." Raskys grinned. "Though, from what I hear, that might not have been half bad." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Majacen scowled at him. "I highly doubt our captivity would have gone the way you are thinking, young sir. If you please, refrain from making such remarks in the future. I might recall to your attention that there are ladies and children present."

Raskys shrugged. "Okay then." He shifted position, scratching his leg. "Where did Nemo come from, anyway? Nobody ever bothered to tell me. I gathered that he has something to do with Link, since he dresses similarly."

The rest of the Company started to gather around the fire as breakfast was dished out and Majacen began his explanation. "The Antihero is just that; a creature to oppose to the Hero. I believe Master Erik told you a bit about him already. I shall fill in the gaps in your knowledge, since the creature is familiar to me.

"I do not know for certain when or where he originated. He is at least seven hundred years old, since that is when the earliest recorded encounters with him are dated. He may be older still, since that Hero's journal mentions hearing about a similar creature from a predecessor. There is also the possibility that there has been more than one Antihero over the years.

"The Sheikah legends about the aberration say that he was once a Hero himself, but was twisted into his current form by a powerful evil. I have not been able to find more than what I just told you about this, so I tend to doubt that this is the case."

Raskys smirked. "We could always ask him, if we ever see him again."

Majacen scowled at the ranger again. "You may feel free to do so. To continue, he does not appear to every Hero, and to some he appears only briefly. The Hero of Time, for instance, had only a passing encounter with the Antihero, while the Hero of Water was plagued by him through almost his entire career.

"The Antihero appears as an exact duplicate of the current Hero, only malicious and twisted. You will have observed, Link, that even his voice sounds similar to yours." Link nodded, and Majacen continued. "This is what leads me to believe that there is more than one creature. The Antihero has never offered a name before now, and that is puzzling to me. Nemo also seems rather talkative, whereas previous Heroes have recorded their doppelganger as silent.

"The creature is also known to be able to change his appearance. He has been recorded to be able match the Hero's shape exactly, and he has caused some confusion with this in the past. I do not believe his abilities range beyond that, however. He is still a threat, and we should keep in contact with the Gerudo to ensure he has not escaped." Majacen stood, and his knees popped audibly. "Forgive me for stopping, but the sun is climbing high in the sky, and we have many miles to cover today. We should make the most of the daylight."

The rest of the Hero's Company packed up the camp, and as they set off, Zelda reflected on the creature who called himself Nemo. He was certainly crude and unpleasant, but he was not to be underestimated. She hoped the Gerudo had not made that mistake. They were not exactly her allies, but she did not wish harm on any of them. The desert people today clearly did not follow the philosophies of Ganondorf, and she hoped that this would be a point of common ground in the future. When the current crisis was dealt with, Zelda resolved to open negotiations with the Gerudo. From the way Nabooru had acted, there was a possibility that they could become allies in the future.

She hoped Nemo was safely imprisoned, and would trouble them no more, but a nagging voice at the back of her mind told her that they were certain to encounter the Antihero again.

Zelda hoped that the Hero's Company was ready, in case they did. He might not be defeated as easily in the future.

* * *

Author's Note(11/23/07): And I leave you on that note for a little while. I'm taking a short break from this story to write a companion piece to it, called 'The Origin of Link'. The ideas I came up with for the Hero of Twilight's background were too interesting to just summarize somewhere in this story, but too long to put in without getting away from the main plot. If you're enjoying this story, I encourage you to read 'The Origin of Link', since it will tie into 'The Fourth Piece' later, as well as provide some detail on where the Link of 'Twilight Princess' came from. Also, the next four chapters of this story will be told solely from one character or group's point of view. So, if your favorite characters don't show up in Chapter 17, don't worry. They'll be in one of the next chapters.

Also, at this point, I'm roughly halfway through my outline, so I'd like to take the time to thank my regular reviewers: Seldavia, for reviewing every chapter since Chapter 3, and for having many valuable suggestions in correspondence. Several scenes since Chapter 10 were reworked and improved at her suggestion, and I'm thankful for her input. Why don't you take a look at her stories? There's lots of good stuff in there. Loyaltraitor777(later Windblown Wanderer), for always having something positive to say. Several of his comments in reviews have sparked a new idea, so he deserves thanks for that. JtheChosen1, The-Jaron, and Ri2 have reviewed almost every chapter, and they deserve thanks for that. Mushkikizou-chan and Lillayy also reviewed most of the story so far, and they deserve thanks also. Silverwolf05 has reviewed steadily since Chapter 8, always with positive and useful comments. Check out 'The Immortal's Heart', also. If you like this story, I'm sure you'll enjoy that one, too. You can get to it from my Favorites list, and I also suggest you read the other stories on there. All of them are very good. Several others have left nice reviews, including Peptuck, another talented writer. Thanks also to anyone I forgot. ;)

I must also thank Ganheim for his thorough review of the first five chapters. He pointed out several parts of the story that can be improved on, so he deserves acknowledgment. And to everyone else who has reviewed, or has added this story to their Favorites list: thank you for reading. I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Stay tuned, because I've got a lot more exciting twists and turns for this story! Till Chapter 17!

(Revision Note, March 2009: I later changed 'The Origin of Link' to 'Hero's Origin', which is a much better title, I think. That story is relevant to the plot in later chapters, so I do recommend you check it out. This actually turned out not to be the halfway point of the story, but I figured I'd leave this up anyway. Thanks for reading!)


	17. Opposing Commanders

Seventeen

There was a gentle bump, felt through the entire ship, as _Falcon's Pride_ touched down on the landing field of the airbase. Viserys congratulated the helmsmen on another successful landing, and he turned to the usual commander of the vessel.

As per the policies of his fleet, he recited the official command transfer before he left the vessel. "Captain Tyrone, I return full command of the flagship of the Balacruf fleet, _Falcon's Pride_, to you. She is now your responsibility."

Tyrone snapped to attention and saluted smartly. "Yes, sir."

"Your actions during the battle were commendable, and I shall see to it you are rewarded." Viserys smiled briefly at the man. "I will consider promotion to Commodore, provided you continue the same exemplary level of service."

"Thank you, sir." Tyrone reached into his uniform jacket and held up a sheet of paper. "I estimate three to four weeks on repairs and refit."

The Mercenary King looked the paper over and handed it back to Tyrone. "Good. Contact me when repairs are complete." He descended the steps of the command platform and left the bridge, headed for the hangar. He paused at the door as the bridge crew saluted, and he left after acknowledging the salute.

He found many crewmen rushing about in the hangar, loading things onto transport vessels bound for other parts of the airbase and beyond. This was one of the smaller bases the Balacruf maintained, but it was still big enough to service three vessels of the flagship's size, including the usual accompanying vessels.

This base was the one the supply convoy they had been escorting had been bound for, before _Falcon's Pride_ was delayed, and out of the hangar doors, Viserys could see the other ships being reloaded for the return trip. _Raven_ was parked nearby, and the smaller warship was also being attended to.

Viserys paused at the place where Philos was overseeing the loading of the remaining Oocca artifacts onto a transport ship. This one would be following _Peregrine_, the Admiral's personal airship, to the main Balacruf base, Nimbus City, which was a three-hour flight from here. Viserys no longer bothered to calculate how far that was over land, since he rarely traveled by horse or carriage.

Philos looked up at him. "Oh, there you are, sir. I'm afraid only two of the survivors we pulled off the wrecked fortress made it though the battle, and they're still in bad shape. Do you want them loaded onto _Peregrine_, or one of the transports?"

Viserys gestured at one of the small airships parked outside the flagship's hangar bay as he replied. "Load them onto a transport, and instruct the pilot to fly directly to the hospital area. We will be stopping only briefly in Nimbus City, since I have to meet with the generals today. I am already behind schedule from the battle, and the time it took us to get here."

The short scientist followed Viserys to the _Peregrine_, climbing up the ladder after the Balacruf leader. "I assume you'll be dropping me off at my laboratory in Nimbus City, sir? I have much work to do on the artifacts we recovered."

Viserys took off his uniform cloak and sword belt, stowing both in a compartment next to the pilot's chair. Philos sat down next to him. "No, Philos, you'll be coming with me to the meeting. I suggest you use the flight time to prepare a presentation on what you have learned so far. It is vitally important that the entire organization knows of your findings as soon as possible."

The scientist shifted uneasily in his seat as Viserys raised his ship off the hangar deck. "Oh, dear. I suppose I had better get started, then."

Viserys informed the base command of his destination and flight plan through the Communication Stone mounted on the console in front of him, and he took off, followed by the transports bound for Nimbus City.

As soon the small airship had reached its cruising altitude, Philos went to the rear compartment of the small vessel to look over his notes.

Viserys looked out at the cottony white clouds and the deep blue sky around him. This was time he actually enjoyed, flying his own ship across the sky without having to worry about the rest of his nation-for-hire, for a few hours at least.

His people were made up of many thousands of soldiers, but also their families, and hundreds of support personnel. The Balacruf were truly a nation for hire, not tied down to any particular territory on land besides their scattered bases. They owned no large tracts of land, and were dependent on the rulers of the world to finance their operations and supply them with food and other things they did not make themselves, in return for fighting their wars for them.

But Viserys knew it wouldn't always be that way. His ultimate goal was to find a permanent home for his people from which to establish a strong nation. Ever since he had taken over leadership of the organization from his father, who had founded it, Viserys had been searching for the right place.

His father had started the organization from several smaller mercenary groups, and Viserys had absorbed several more, until the Balacruf were the largest independent army in the world. In the almost twenty years he had been 'king' of the nation-for-hire, Viserys had made the organization so profitable that he knew his goal would be realized within his lifetime.

_Assuming that extends past the Oocca war_, he thought to himself.

His mercenaries had scored victories over their enemy, but had lost many of the early battles with the avian invaders. The enemy ships were numerous, and all victories were hard-fought. He hadn't ever seen any other kind of ships besides the gigantic mile-wide fortresses, and there seemed to be no shortage of those.

One of Viserys' main goals was to find the shipyards of the enemy and destroy them, to cripple their invasion, but he had never been able to find any trace of them. Unless the entire Oocca nation lived in floating, constantly moving cities, he could not figure out where they were launching from. The world was a big place, but his airships and the unparalleled speed at which they could travel had made it much smaller. Agents of his had flown over almost the entire globe, mapping the air currents and observing the land below. These missions, though not involving combat, were still dangerous, and several pilots had gone missing over the years.

As Viserys looked out of his window at the land far below him, he wondered what had happened to one of his best pilots in particular, who had disappeared about three years ago, flying a mapping mission over Hyrule. No trace of his airship had been found, and there had been no contact with him in that time. He had probably died in the crash, but there was a chance he was still alive. He had shown uncanny skill with small, winged airships, and he would be a valuable asset now.

The Mercenary King looked back at the transport ships, spotting the great balloons filled with gas that they used to keep themselves aloft first. They were all still in formation behind him, and he returned his attention to the sky in front of him.

Most of his flight passed uneventfully, but he did spot a warship patrolling the airlane about halfway through the trip, which fired off one of its guns as a salute when it recognized his vessel.

Almost exactly three hours after he had taken off, Viserys spotted Nimbus City. It wasn't really a city, since it was almost completely mobile. It was made up of dozens of huge air barges, and they could be completely disconnected and in the air in only an hour and a half. When it was joined, the base rested on the ground, to conserve fuel. It was usually close to wherever the principal ground operation was, since it was the main supply depot for the nation-for-hire.

Viserys slowed his approach and called ahead with the Communication Stone, alerting the base of who he was and how many ships were in his group. The transports branched off to their respective destinations, and Viserys steered the _Peregrine_ down to the landing field of Nimbus City, where _Argent Hawk_, the warship on which the meeting with the generals was to be held, waited.

The _Argent Hawk_ was one of the best ships in the fleet, second only to the _Falcon's Pride_ in terms of armor and armament. The meeting would take place as the _Argent Hawk_ and her battle group flew to another of the bases, this one on the eastern coast of this continent near one of the most attacked airlanes. The goal of the mission was to transport the generals and Viserys to the base, and then to find the area the Oocca were striking from.

Under direction from the _Argent Hawk_, Viserys piloted_ Peregrine_ into its hangar bay, gently setting it down in the far left corner. He stood from the pilot's chair, reaching into the compartment and donning his Admiral's cloak and sword belt again.

Philos was already waiting by the ladder, a sheaf of papers in his hand and more papers in a bag slung over his shoulder. He was still shuffling the ones in his hand and muttering to himself as he exited Viserys' vessel and stopped at the foot of the ladder.

Viserys was greeted by the officer of the deck as he strode out of the hangar, and the man saluted. "The generals are already gathered in the officers' wardroom, sir. I'll see to the _Peregrine_ personally."

"Good. You are dismissed." Viserys strode down the corridors of the _Argent Hawk_ quickly, knowing the layout well, since this ship was of the same class as the flagship.

He still occasionally marveled at how quickly he had put together his fleet, and he took pride in the high level of organization. He also took pride in the fact that his people were more advanced than the rest of the world, and that was why they were so valued. No other nation in the world, not even once-mighty Hyrule, had the level of technology and science he had at his disposal.

Viserys could hear Philos puffing as the smaller man hurried to keep up with the Balacruf leader. They drew nearer to the wardroom, and Viserys slowed to speak to the scientist.

"Do you think you're prepared to tell the generals about what we found on the wrecked fortress?"

Philos sighed as he continued to shuffle his papers. "Not as well as I'd like, but it should be adequate. They're all smart men."

Viserys smiled slightly. "They wouldn't be generals if they weren't." He gestured up at the set of double doors in front of them. "We're here."

The generals of the nation-for-hire stood respectfully as their commander entered the room, and they sat as he took his place at the head of the table. Philos stayed at the opposite end, in front of the huge chalkboard that dominated one wall of the wardroom.

Viserys looked around the table at the men who commanded his army and sky fleet. They were all experienced commanders, and all of them had personally seen combat many times. A few of them bore scars from their experiences, and one man sported a blue velvet eyepatch to match his uniform.

He made sure he had their attention before he began speaking. "Philos and I discovered some interesting new information on our way here. As the advance report said, the _Falcon's Pride_ encountered a wrecked Oocca fortress and was able to capture it, along with two survivors. What I have not yet relayed to you is that we have discovered that the Oocca control their ships and crews by means of mind control, and the flagship temporarily fell under this effect." Viserys held up his hand at the murmurs this created, and gestured at the scientist. "Philos will explain further."

Philos cleared his throat nervously and shuffled his papers again. "Thank you, sir." He turned to the chalkboard and drew a quick sketch on it. "Sirs, this is a representation of a crystal I discovered aboard the captured vessel and brought aboard the flagship. From the effects the Admiral and I observed, this crystal is able to control minds, perhaps focusing power from a governing intelligence, or perhaps containing its own.

"After I brought the crystal aboard for study, it took control of the crew, though the Admiral and myself remained unaffected. The Admiral was able to break free from the effect on his own, while I myself was perhaps spared because of an electrical shock I received from the crystal's housing as I was examining it. We were able to dispose of the crystal, though we were forced to battle several of the controlled crew on our way."

Again the generals murmured amongst themselves, looking to Viserys for confirmation.

He nodded. "I will provide a full report on what transpired at a later time. For now, Philos will explain more about the crystal, since that is the pertinent topic." He gestured for the scientist to continue.

Philos had scrawled another drawing on the chalkboard in the meantime, this one a crude sketch of an Oocca fortress with an arrow pointing to the crystal room. "The room in the flying castle in which I discovered the crystal was closed off from the rest of the vessel, and I only found it because of damage the fortress had already suffered. I believe all fortresses possess these crystals, since the Admiral disabled another vessel that attacked us by firing into the corresponding area on that ship.

"Once the crystal on the attacking ship was destroyed, the Oocca vessel became inactive for several minutes. This gave the flagship and the _Raven_ time to further damage the vessel without taking damage themselves." Philos tapped the area on his drawing where the crystal room was located. "I will draw up a more detailed schematic at a later time, but on both ships, the crystal room was located directly under their control room."

The general with the eyepatch, General Nelson, scoffed. "That's the most heavily armored and defended area of the flying fortresses. It's little wonder it took two ships to breach that wall. If what you say is true, warships are going to need new formation training to better work with each other."

The commander to his right, General Drake, nodded thoughtfully. He was an older man, with gray hair and a lined face, but his mind was as sharp as it had ever been. "We will have to implement this quickly, also. Now that we know a weak spot, we will have to work at destroying as many fortresses as possible before they figure out a way to counter us."

General Nelson nodded also. "It seems like every time we make a step against them, they blast us three steps back."

Viserys drummed his fingers against the table as he listened to his generals discuss what they had just been told. General Balboa, who was currently in charge of the shipyards, said that he would try to speed up production on the new warships that were being built._ Falcon's Pride_ and the first few others of her class had been so successful that twelve more ships just like her were being built, and were now only a month away from completion.

General Raleigh, who commanded the shipping fleet and its escorts, told the gathered commanders that attacks on the shipping lanes were becoming more frequent, and he suggested stepping up protection on the lanes that went from continent to continent, since that was where the most enemy vessels were spotted.

Viserys nodded at the suggestions and leaned forward, looking around the table. "How goes the ground effort? How many cities are under Oocca control?"

General Burgoyne, who commanded several regiments of the ground soldiers, glanced briefly at the notes he had in front of him before answering. He was a few years younger than Viserys, and he wore his blond hair short and his beard trimmed to a goatee. "They have taken two more of Lord Tywin's cities, though we took Needle Peak back almost immediately. Their ground army has increasing numbers of Darknuts and Lizalfos, with thicker armor and more discipline than we have seen before. Whoever is directing that assault is beginning to recognize us as a threat, and we have twice had to fight off ambushes during the night at the Seamount garrison. Elsewhere, we have still been unable to drive them out of their Blue Forest stronghold, and the thick trees make it almost impossible for us to reinforce our soldiers from the air."

Viserys frowned. "The Blue Forest is dangerously close to Belakar City. They may be preparing for an assault on the capital of Calatia, and we must be prepared for it." He sighed quietly. "We're beginning to spread our forces dangerously thin, while the enemy seems to have limitless resources. No other country in the world that I know of has a large enough army to defend itself from the Oocca, and that duty then falls to us. Forty years ago, Hyrule had soldiers to spare, and we could have asked them for aid, but now they have barely enough to protect their own capital."

General Burgoyne frowned. "That was another thing I wanted to tell you, sir. Hyrule has fallen. I just got the news yesterday that Hyrule Castle Town is taken, and a few of the frontier villages have been destroyed."

General Nelson pounded his fist on the table. "Again?! I thought they just repelled an invasion not even a year ago! Does every fiend and madman in the world have designs on Hyrule?"

Viserys gestured for Burgoyne to continue.

"According to the report, the siege started very suddenly, and they didn't have time to mount a proper defense. The castle was taken in only a day, and the civilians either escaped or were killed. I sent a few scouts to verify this, but they haven't reported back yet."

Viserys rubbed a hand across his face thoughtfully. "A survivor on the wrecked fortress we captured said that his ship had attacked a village south of Hyrule and had been repulsed by powerful magic wielded by one or more mages. He described it as 'blue-green blasts of light', but did not elaborate. It was apparently incredibly destructive, because we encountered several holes lancing straight through the vessel. They seemed more like they had been cut, rather than blasted."

General Drake spoke up. "I have never heard of any kind of magic that could do such a thing. We haven't been able to recruit many mages into our ranks, but I will consult one to see what they think it is. If we could find the mage that did that kind of damage, they could be a powerful ally."

Viserys stood. "We've discussed much, and there are many things to think about. We will take a short break, and reconvene in half an hour. You are dismissed."

The generals saluted and filed out of the room. Viserys stopped General Drake before he left.

"I want you to make it a top priority to find the mage or group of mages that fought the Oocca fortress we found. I want them on our side, where they can do the most good."

Drake nodded. "Yes sir."

As the general left, Viserys pondered over something that had been said earlier. General Burgoyne had said something in passing about how whoever was directing the assault was beginning to consider them a threat.

He still did not even know the name of the enemy who was in charge of their operations. In previous campaigns, the first thing Viserys did was find out all he could about the opposing commander and try to get a sense of how they thought, so he could develop his strategy accordingly.

Unfortunately, there was little to no pattern in the enemy strategy that he could discern, and he could not get a sense of their thinking patterns to develop an effective, overarching offensive strategy of his own. His forces had been on the defensive for two years, and he was concerned that morale was sinking.

But, since he had discovered a weak spot on the enemy ships, they could begin striking back. Now all he had to do was discover the identity of the enemy coordinator, and he could begin pressing his advantage.

* * *

Lord Kyron pored over the map on the wall in front of him. It was as accurate a representation of the world as his finest surveyors could produce, and it indicated how much of the planet was under his control. A sizable portion was outlined in red pins and string, with blue depicting occupied territory still to be conquered, purple around contested areas, and green outlining areas that were so far unexplored.

He felt a swell of pride as he looked at the map. The entire world had once belonged to his people, and he was well on his way to reclaiming it. Of course, the victory did not belong to him alone, and he was reminded of this by the other occupant of the room.

His secretive ally was actually meeting with him in person today, and that was a rare honor. The gigantic man was swathed in a great black cloak, and no part of him was visible except his faintly glowing yellow eyes. Kyron had never seen him without the cloak and hood, another level of secrecy insisted upon by the man.

The Oocca ruler did not know much about his ally, other than the fact that the mysterious man was an incredibly powerful mage, he had legions of magically twisted creatures and other servants at his disposal, and he was abnormally large, at least seven-and-a-half feet tall, and apparently powerfully built, from the width of his shoulders. But, Kyron usually ignored all the mystery, since his ally produced unbelievable results.

"I have come to you in person today because what we will discuss is for our ears alone, and I wanted no possibility of others overhearing us." The man's voice was deep, with a gravelly inflection and a slight accent, as if the language they were speaking now was not his first one.

Kyron was puzzled. "Why could we not talk through the stone you gave me? I thought you were busy directing battles."

"I am not, at the moment. As I said, I wanted total secrecy for this meeting, and speaking in person is the best way I can ensure that." He moved a few steps closer to Kyron, and the pommel of an ornate sword poked out from underneath his cloak, quickly hidden again by the movement of the heavy black fabric. "First, I will discuss with you our enemies, namely the legions of mercenaries known as the Balacruf that oppose us." His softly glowing yellow eyes fixed themselves on the map, looking over it as he spoke. "Of particular concern is their leader, the man named Viserys who sometimes commands their flagship."

"Why? They have not shown themselves to be much of a threat to us so far. They certainly cannot oppose us all over the world." Kyron gestured out at the rest of the map with one feathered hand, his wings rustling as he moved.

Kyron heard leather creaking and the faint jingling of chain-mail as his ally shifted position and glared at him. "Do not be so quick to dismiss them, Kyron. We recently suffered a defeat at the hands of Viserys and his ship. He destroyed three fortresses with only his flagship and another, smaller vessel."

Kyron's head snapped around to look at the mage, his beak opening in surprise. "I hadn't heard of this. When did this happen?"

Kyron's ally moved under his heavy cloak, crossing his arms over his chest. "Two days ago, the _Falcon's Pride_ encountered the missing fortress from the Hyrule campaign over the ocean, and the crew boarded it. They brought the control crystal back aboard their ship, and I seized their minds during the night.

"Two of the crew escaped my control, however. A small, cowardly-looking man who was studying the crystal somehow managed to elude my grasp, and Viserys wrenched himself free. The two discovered the crystal's power, and they threw it overboard, despite my attempts to stop them.

"They then proceeded to destroy the two fortresses I had sent after them, both in an extremely unconventional manner. They are now a threat, because they have discovered the secret of my crystals, and have taken advantage of the one weakness stemming from these."

The cloaked mage looked down at Kyron, his yellow eyes flashing. "We have a choice on how to deal with this situation; we can either recall all fortresses and improve the armor around the crystal room, which will set our timetable back weeks, or we can send in an operative and eliminate the Balacruf leadership. While I had control of the crew of _Falcon's Pride_, the captain, a man named Tyrone, had the knowledge that Viserys and the generals of the mercenary force were going to meet to discuss their war against us."

Kyron nodded eagerly. "If we can find out where this meeting is being held, we can send a fleet of fortresses to smash it into the ground." He sobered. "But, we only have seventeen fortresses, if three have been destroyed, and the ones being built will not be ready for another few months."

Kyron's ally nodded under his enshrouding hood. "The fortresses are all busy with the campaign. We cannot spare any, now that three have been destroyed." The mage turned to a different part of the map and a black-gloved hand emerged from his cloak to point at the kingdom of Hyrule, in the process of being conquered. His hand moved south on the map to point at one of the outlying provinces, labeled 'Ordona', and he tapped it with his finger. "This is where one of our fortresses disappeared. I sent it there in pursuit of Hyrule's King and his daughter, both of whom seem to have also disappeared."

Kyron was irked that the mage had referred to them as 'our fortresses', and also that he was tasking them without telling Kyron about it, but the Oocca leader remained silent, nodding.

"I was not directing that battle, since I was busy with another, but through the crystal, I perceived that the fortress was greatly damaged with magic. I had not thought any mages of that power resided in Hyrule, not even the royal family."

Kyron shifted. "What does this have to do with Viserys?"

The tall mage glared down at him, yellow eyes burning. "Patience. I do not speak without purpose."

Kyron sighed quietly. "Continue."

The mage gestured at the large desert west of Hyrule on the map. "It was a situation that puzzled me until one of my spies overheard a conversation in a Gerudo camp not long after the fortress went missing."

Kyron suppressed a shudder. His ally's spies were wraith-like creatures that could hide in any shadow, anywhere. He was convinced at least one of them followed him everywhere, though he had no evidence of this. Like almost everything to do with his ally, Kyron did not know what the spies were, exactly, or where they came from.

"Not only had the Gerudo captured the Antihero and one of Ganondorf's servants, they had also captured the man who had defeated him and several companions." Kyron's ally held his hand out, palm upward, and an image of a humanoid woman with exotic features appeared. She had orange hair and gray skin, traits Kyron thought ordinary humans did not possess. "This woman is one of the Hylian Hero's companions. I know you do not recognize her, but I did. You are familiar with the legend of the people who were banished to another realm for attempting to seize the Hylian Triforce?"

The Oocca leader nodded. "Yes, the Evening People, or the Night Raiders, or something like that."

"Twili," the mage said patiently. "They and their descendants were locked away in the Twilight Realm for all eternity by the gods as punishment for their supposed crime. This woman is a Twili, and that also intrigued me. Supposedly, they have dwelt in the Twilight Realm so long that they cannot return to the world of light without harm."

Kyron wished his ally would get to the point, but did not voice this. "Go on."

"My spy was able to overhear that this group is called the Hero's Company, after their leader, the man who defeated Ganondorf." The image above the mage's hand switched to a young man dressed in green, bearing a longsword with a blue hilt and a yellow gem set into the crosspiece. "He and his group may also pose a threat to us, since several individuals of great power travel with him. There is the Twili woman I spoke of, two Sheikah warriors skilled in magic, and also a powerful wizard named Majacen traveling with them. This wizard is known to me. He does not quite match my power, but aided by the rest of this group, there is the possibility that they could defeat me.

"Also, there is an additional threat. The Hero bears one piece of the Triforce, the one known as Courage. Ganondorf bore another piece, known as Power. Upon the Dark Lord's defeat, this passed to another man, who is now also traveling with the Hero's Company." The image above the mage's hand switched again, this time to a dark-haired human male, tall and heavily muscled. "He was at the battle in Castle Town, and he slew a great many of my soldiers while he was there.

"I do not know where the Bearer of Wisdom is, and I cannot perceive her. The thought has crossed my mind that she is also traveling with the Hero's Company, and the three pieces of the Triforce being in such close proximity is clouding my perceptions."

Kyron's ally crossed his arms under his cloak again, and the Oocca ruler got the distinct impression that the man was smiling, though he could not see the mage's face.

"But, I have found a possible solution to both our problems. As I mentioned earlier, the Gerudo captured the Antihero and one of Ganondorf's servants. They can both prove useful to us. The Antihero possesses two items I can make use of, and his companion knows a great deal about anatomy, which will also be useful.

"I have already told the Antihero that I will free him, and my spy has also taken possession of the creature's sword, a powerful copy of the Master Sword that Ganondorf forged. The creature also has another item the Dark Lord made, called the Triforce of Shadow. It allows its bearer to control the other three pieces of the Triforce, and this will prove useful to me."

Kyron wondered why his ally was telling him all this. He had never shown much of an interest in talking at length to Kyron before, and while he was glad that the mage was letting him in on his plans, he also wondered how he personally fit into all this.

"Once Ganondorf's servant has removed the Shadow Triforce from the Antihero, I propose sending the monster after Viserys and the Balacruf generals. The creature is almost immortal, and he cannot be harmed by non-magical weapons. This would solve that problem, and it would also give me time to master the Triforce of Shadow without constant distractions, so that I can deal with the Hero and the other bearers of the Hylian magic. What say you?"

Kyron thought for a moment. "If this Antihero creature can do what you say he can, then I say we send him after Viserys as soon as possible." He smiled darkly, or as close as someone with a beak could. "I suggest you tell him to kill Viserys in as brutal, and public, a manner as possible. It might scare the Balacruf into surrendering."

The mage's yellow gaze was actually somewhat amused. "Those were my thoughts, also." His gaze sharpened. "I have also come to begin your training. You will need to know how to use my crystals so you can control your people while I am mastering the Triforce of Shadow. It will require my full concentration, and the war effort cannot be paused for any length of time if we are to succeed. The Balacruf will be thrown into confusion by the loss of their leadership, and you must take advantage of this to crush them and the realms they are protecting. While you are doing that, I will be learning how to control the Triforce, and once that object is mine, the war will be over.

"There will be nothing that can oppose us then."

* * *

Viserys climbed the ladder into _Peregrine_, taking off his uniform cloak once he was inside and loosening his collar. The day's meeting had ended a few hours ago, but he had been constantly busy since then with countless other small tasks. These kinds of days were why he preferred to command the flagship on its missions whenever possible.

After all the major decisions had been reached, such as major troop reassignment to take the Blue Forest as soon as possible, the Balacruf leadership had adjourned for the day to carry out their respective orders, mostly by Communication Stone. Viserys briefly reflected that his organization would not be as efficient as it was without the magical stones that allowed instantaneous communication over great distances.

The Mercenary King removed his sword belt and placed the weapon next to his bunk. The _Peregrine_ was Viserys' private mode of transportation, and was sparsely furnished, being little more than a cockpit, a small room amidships that mostly functioned as an office, and a tiny cabin that he rarely used. Viserys did not maintain a permanent dwelling of his own, as he was on the move almost constantly. If he really had a home, he supposed it was his quarters on _Falcon's Pride_, and indeed the entire flagship itself.

Viserys sat down on his bunk and pulled off his boots, tired from a long day. He picked up the thick book in which he was recording his findings about his enemy, and flipped through it for a moment, correcting earlier recorded assumptions which were now proved untrue. On a whim, he turned to the first page, to see what he had written there.

He saw it was an account of his first encounter with the Oocca civilization, the day he had found the abandoned floating city, almost three years ago. This book had been his log, before he started using it for its present purpose.

_We were on a routine shipping mission today when we spotted the thing. There has not been much call for the army as of late, so I have been overseeing the shipping lanes, hoping to improve efficiency and increase profits. The sooner I have enough money to quit mercenary work, the better. I tire of fighting petty wars for squabbling lords and barons over trivial matters. _

_The mission was passing uneventfully, as air travel nearly always does. Flying does not seem to be very stressful, since all airship captains have to worry about are storms. There are no pirates who have taken to flight, which is fortuitous, since the sea fleet was attacked frequently._

_But, as evidenced by today's discovery, we are not the only masters of the air. It was about an hour before midday when the lookout spotted a dark shape to starboard, which he judged to be about five miles away. I ordered a course change to investigate, and we came alongside the object at almost exactly noon, after chasing it for a few miles when the wind picked up. We were over the open ocean at the time, about three hundred miles from the coast of Calatia._

_It is enormous, a city of some kind, kept aloft through means unknown to me. My airships use great bags filled with gas to stay aloft, and move by means of a propeller system, but I see no balloons above this city. There are propellers, but they are much too small to support the city by themselves, and must be used for elevation and movement only. The architecture is very strange, and looks like nothing I have ever seen on land. Many of the 'buildings' are egg-shaped, and there are very few corners or angles that I can see._

_We flew around the city several times, and I have calculated its size at five miles in diameter. It is made up of many modules, connected by walkways in places, and in other places not. There are many large doors and windows, and I surmise its inhabitants to possess wings, since many of the doors we observed open out into nothing but air. We did not venture into the city today, and will save that exploration for tomorrow. _

_A squad of soldiers and I will be taking one of the scout ships over to explore the mysterious city tomorrow, since the transport has a schedule to keep. From the navigator's maps, we are only a five-hour flight away from the nearest base, though this is not the one for which this transport is bound. I have decided to stay behind and explore the city, since if it is truly abandoned, it may be useful as a mobile base for the shipping fleet._

There was a drawing of the city on the next page, and Viserys looked closely at it, remembering when he had drawn it. He had even then been calculating plans for the city, as a few airships were drawn flying around the city, mostly to show scale, abut also to show where he thought might be good places to dock them.

The next entry was short and decidedly irritable in tone, and Viserys remembered how infuriated he had been when he wrote it.

_Five men were claimed by the accursed flying city. If I had cannons on this ship, I would blast it into oblivion, where it belongs!_

_We ventured into the city early this morning, after landing our scout ship on a large open platform near the middle of the city. The transport left after making sure we had landed safely, and was well out of range when the troubles started. We were about two hours into the exploration when the first man died. A statue that he had been standing by suddenly came to life and crushed him with a hammer it was holding. It was so sudden that none of us could have done anything._

_The hall we were in was lined with the statues, and one after another, they flared with an odd yellow-green light and came to life, just like the first. They all moved in unison, and when one swung, all of them swung. As we fled from the hall, the statues claimed two more men._

_I gave the order to abandon the city and flee to the ship with all speed. Dozens more of the statue creatures appeared from every direction, and as we hurried to the scout ship, another man was knocked off the walkway by the incessant hammers._

_Perhaps the worst casualty was the man who was crushed only a few feet from this ship. He had fallen behind, and the rest of us were already aboard, making ready to take off. We were waiting for him, and I was standing just outside the ship, ready to help him aboard. The infernal statues swarmed the man only a few steps from the ship, and crushed him to death before our eyes with their hammers, utterly merciless. We had to take off or be crushed ourselves._

_If I ever find this city again, I will blow it to pieces with whatever I have. I only hope I never meet its creators, who must surely be evil to make such machines._

Viserys closed his book. His conclusion about the city's creators had not changed in the years he had been fighting them. He hadn't encountered the statues again, and he still sometimes wondered on their purpose. Were they automated, or were they, too, controlled by an outside force?

The Mercenary King put the book in the drawer next to his bunk and stretched out on the bed, putting his hands behind his head. As he drifted off to sleep, he thought to himself that the war had turned a corner, with victory now a definite possibility. Even with everything his enemy had to throw at him, he still knew one of their weaknesses, and this finally gave him an advantage. For the first time, things were beginning to look up.

* * *

Author's Note: This four-chapter arc is being told from one group or character's point of view, like I said before, instead of all of them mixed together. This arc is setting up the crucial arc after it, where the various threads of the story start to tie together, so pay careful attention to these chapters, since I'll be explaining a lot of things you might have questions about. Speaking of that, what are your main questions at this point in the story? Are you confused by anything? Let me know, since I'm going for as high a quality as I can, and if the story only makes sense to me, it's only half as fun. Next Chapter: The Hero's Company.


	18. Bar Brawlers

Eighteen

_Link peered intently at the portrait. The elegantly dressed man looked familiar, but he could not fathom where he would know him from._

_He shivered against the cold, wishing his clothes were thicker. The fact that he had fallen several times on his way here, and was soaking wet from sweat and melting snow did not help. Snowpeak seemed to almost hungrily sap the heat from his body.  
_

_Link heard an annoyed sigh beside his ear, and turned to see Midna floating next to him, an expression of annoyance on her imp-like face. The eye that was not covered by her helmet glared at him irritably._

_"Why are you standing here staring at a picture of some guy who's probably been dead for three hundred years when we still have a Mirror shard to find?__"__ she demanded. __"__We don't have all day here, Mr. Hero, so quit goofing off and get going!"_

_Link turned back to the portrait. "Just a minute. He looks familiar, but I'm not sure where I know him from."_

_Midna floated up closer to the picture and made a show of looking closely at it. "I've never seen him, and he doesn't look like the kind of guy to come visit that backwater village Ordon, so I don't know, either."_

_Link sighed quietly. "All right, then. Let's go." He turned to leave, but felt a tiny hand on his shoulder._

_Midna looked over at him, her expression almost apologetic. "Sorry for snapping at you, Link, but it's cold in here. It never gets this cold in the Twilight Realm, and I guess I'm not used to it." She bobbed off a few feet away, and then shrank into his shadow again._

_Link looked curiously at his shadow. Midna never apologized for anything she said to him, no matter how cruel or sarcastic. She had been markedly different after their encounter with Princess Zelda a few weeks ago, and while he was glad that she wasn't teasing him as much, he wondered what she was thinking. He still wasn't sure exactly what had happened, or why Zelda had disappeared, but he had decided not to think about it much, since he had other things to worry about right now, such as retrieving a shard of the Mirror of Twilight, which was somewhere in this crumbling old mansion. Midna was right; he didn't have all day to look at the hanging picture, no matter how interesting it was._

_Still, he couldn't shake a feeling of familiarity about this place. It was more than just the picture. The room itself seemed dimly reminiscent of something long-forgotten in his mind, though he didn't see how it was possible._

_Link shook his head to clear it and stepped through the next door, returning his thoughts to his quest._

* * *

Leaning back against a boulder, Link watched Colin sparring with Arnak, who was teaching the boy techniques against larger opponents.

"If you were as big as I am," the Bearer of Power was saying, "I would also teach you how to defend against these techniques, but since you are unlikely to face an opponent smaller than yourself for quite some time, these will suffice." Arnak looked down at Colin. "You must take advantage of your smaller size. I can hit more powerfully, but you can move faster, and this is where the strength of these moves lies. Your friend Link, the Hero, undoubtedly defeated many of the giant armored warriors you call Darknuts, yes?"

Colin looked at Link, and the Hero nodded.

Arnak continued. "These warriors seem invincible, since they are huge and menacing, with thick armor and broad shields. But, their armor and their size cause them to move slowly. Their armor is also weak at the back, since they are concentrated on defending against a frontal assault. Occasionally, you can get at the straps of their armor, and if you can slice these, you may be able to defeat them."

The big man gestured with his makeshift sword as he spoke. "If you can duck around behind your opponent, you can usually get in a few slices before they move to retaliate. These slices are crucial, and you must make your fullest use of them. Now, imagine I am one of these Darknuts, and come at me when you are ready."

Arnak held his stick in front of him, a thick tree branch he had snapped off, and settled into a defensive posture, Link's borrowed shield in his other hand. Colin looked up nervously at the large man, who smiled quickly to reassure the boy he meant no harm. The boy gripped his training stick in one hand and his shield in the other, and with a playful battle cry, leaped at Arnak, swinging wildly.

Link smiled as he remembered his own sword training with Rusl, and later, with the Hero's Shade.

Colin's father was a patient teacher, but Link had picked up the ways of the sword quickly, and was soon on par with his instructor, though he now thought this to be from the influence of his dormant Triforce.

In his sporadic visits back to his home village, Link had watched Rusl train his son, and he now thought about something that did not penetrate his thoughts often; who his own father was.

He knew Bo was not his father, though he had raised Link as if he were his own son. Rusl had also shared this role, though his relationship with Link was more like that of an older brother or uncle than a father.

All the Hero knew about his family was what the villagers had been able to tell him. He had wandered into the village as a small child, along with Epona, and had not been able to speak anything other than his name. They had gone out looking for his family, but all the villagers had found were signs of a battle in the forest and a few bloody scraps of cloth.

Since Link's tattered clothes had been of fine material, they assumed he was with a trading caravan that had been attacked, and that he was probably a merchant's son. No one ever came to claim him, so the young future Hero had grown up in the quiet mountain village, unaware of his destiny.

But still, Link thought as he watched Colin train with Arnak, he wished he knew who his family was. That was one thing he had always been missing, even though the people of Ordon had more than acted as a surrogate family to him.

Who were his parents? Was there even a possibility that they were still alive somewhere, and that he could meet them someday? Would they be proud of him, to have their son be the Hero?

Link frowned and shook his head. He had more to worry about than his own wishful thinking. He had others to think of, and his current quest was more important than himself.

He turned to Majacen, where the old wizard sat honing his ornate longsword. The older man -if he really was a man, a mortal, and not some sort of demigod, as Link suspected- smiled kindly at him as he noticed the Hero's gaze.

"How far are we from the city now, Majacen?" he asked as he sat down next to the wizard on a flat rock near the campfire.

Majacen gestured at Erik, who was off by himself speaking quietly into a Gossip Stone. "According to the Gerudo, who know this country well, we are less than a day away from the port city. They do not know its name, but we will learn it when we arrive there. They have also let us know that the creature is still safely imprisoned, but refuses to tell them anything."

Link nodded. Nemo was still in possession of the Triforce of Shadow, not to mention two of the Fused Shadows that they had been unable to retrieve from him. He would be able to cause endless trouble for them if he escaped, and he hoped the monster never managed to get loose, not only since it would undoubtedly be Link Nemo came for first, but he would probably slaughter the Gerudo for imprisoning him, and the Hero did not want that to happen. The proud desert race was in enough danger of dying off as it was.

Majacen sheathed his sword and put his whetstone into a pocket on his belt, and stood, looking down the river ahead of them. "As I have said, once we arrive at the city, we will hire a ship to take us to Calatia, the continent west of here. There we will meet with Viserys, the leader of the Balacruf mercenaries who are fighting the Oocca there." The wizard gestured at Shad, who sat reading a book he had brought with him. "Since our young friend here can read the language of the Oocca, our combined knowledge will surely uncover a weakness which we can use to end the war."

Midna stopped polishing the Twilight Blade and looked up at the wizard. "It's not much of a war in Hyrule. The country was taken overnight." At Zelda's brief small frown, Midna turned to look at her. "Sorry, but it's true." She looked back up at Majacen. "Do you know anything about what's happening in the rest of the world?"

He continued to look off into the distance. "The rest of this world has not been able to mount a resistance to the invaders, either. The only real opposition to the Oocca are Viserys and his mercenaries, and even they have won few victories. Their main advantage are their airships, which they have armed, and they have taken the fight to the air, where the footing, so to speak, is a little more equal."

Majacen turned back around to face the rest of the group. "There is something that I must tell you now." His hand strayed to the hilt of his sword as he spoke, resting on the pommel. "Over the last few days, I have become more aware of a… presence. It is almost beyond my perceptions, and even now I am unsure of whether it is really there or not. It is… vaguely threatening, and it has the taste of Shadow magic about it." The old man stopped, as if he was having trouble finding the right words. "It almost seems as if it is hiding itself, but occasionally I can detect a usage of power that does not make sense to me."

Midna nodded. "I've been feeling something like that, too. It feels like the magic Ganondorf used, but it's… different somehow. Like you said, it doesn't make sense, almost. I don't really know how to explain it, either."

Zelda also nodded. "I, too, have been feeling this presence, though I was also unsure of what it was."

Predictably, none of the non-magic users had felt anything out of the ordinary, though Arnak mentioned that he had been having strange dreams the last few nights. He said that he kept dreaming that someone was attempting to smother him with a large wet blanket, speaking indistinctly all the while.

The discussion was interrupted when Erik stepped back into the main camp, putting his Gossip Stone back in his pocket. "Nabooru sends her greetings," he said, "and says that the creature is still imprisoned. She also says that scouts in the area ahead report that it's going to storm tonight, and we should secure our camp against the wind. She also thinks that this may delay any ships in the city, and we should look for an inn when we arrive."

Majacen ran his fingers through his beard as he looked around the camp. "There is no time to waste then. Let us get to it."

The Company busied themselves over the next hour securing their gear, and even as they finished, the wind started to pick up and it began raining.

As Link hunkered down under a blanket to wait out the storm, his thoughts strayed to the presence the magic users in their party had sensed. Of particular interest was Midna's comment. Like Ganondorf's magic, but different somehow. What did that mean? Were Arnak's dreams related somehow? As the droplets pelted him, the Hero wondered what exactly was responsible for the Oocca invasion. Majacen had said that it couldn't be the Dark Lord himself, but there were too many questions being raised that Link had no answer to.

The Hero waited under his cover, a storm raging both outside him and in.

* * *

As expected, the Hero's Company reached the port city the next day. Colin had never seen a large city other than Hyrule Castle Town, and the city seemed full of wonders to his young eyes.

As they had approached the city, he could see that it was entirely surrounded by a tan-colored wall, which Raskys explained was made from sandstone. They could see a few buildings poking over the wall, and they were square and also tan, mostly undecorated.

They were stopped at the gate by two guards bearing scimitars. They were dressed identically in turbans, small open vests which exposed their muscled chests, and loose white pants. A gleaming scimitar was tucked into the belt of each man, and both rested their palms on the pommel of their weapon as the Company approached. They did not seem to mind the cold, but Colin was shivering.

The guard on the left stepped forward, but did not step out from under the canopy protecting him from the rain. Majacen, Arnak, and Link approached, while the rest of the Company stayed a few feet away. The three spoke to him for a few moments. Colin noticed him peer out at the rest of them a few times, and finally, he stepped aside and waved them in.

They had made their way to the inn, which was also a tavern, where the various members of the Company were now relaxing in the common room. Raskys and Arnak were sitting at a table, playing some sort of game that involved dice and cards with a few of the other patrons. Majacen was perusing the small bookshelf that sat against the wall near the door, as was Shad. Midna, Erik, and Princess Zelda were sitting at the bar, talking with a few of the other travelers staying here. Link was sitting on one of the couches, his feet propped up on a footstool, and was apparently taking a nap, though how he could sleep in this noisy room was beyond Colin. He was sitting next to the Hero, just looking around and watching the other people in the room.

The streets here had been interesting, and Colin was looking forward to seeing them in the morning when the storm passed. The inside of the city was much different than the outside. From outside the city, it appeared to be all drab brown, but inside, it was awash with bright colors, even through the rain. Street vendors still hawked their wares huddled under bright canopies, and Colin had seen a wide range of products, from swords to spices, more variety than he had ever experienced in his short life.

Raskys had noticed him looking around eagerly, not noticing the rain for once, and had chuckled. "If you like this place, kid, you're going to love Calatia. Belakar City is three times as big and five times as interesting as whatever this city is. And then there's Nimbus City, but you have to see that for yourself."

They had since found out that the city was called Athaca, and it governed itself, overlooked and ignored by the surrounding countries. The city's native inhabitants disliked foreigners, which Midna had sarcastically remarked was odd for a port city, and non-natives were asked to stay in the Foreign Quarter, of which the harbor was a part.

Athaca was one of many cities on this coast, and it was neither strategically located, nor conveniently placed to be a major trade center, so it had remained under its own governance for almost all of its history. Princess Zelda had told them that the city had been founded by one of her ancestors, and had originally been a Hylian city, but as Hyrule slumped further into decay, it quietly broke away from the Golden Kingdom.

As was her custom in her guise as the Sheikah warrior 'Mara', Zelda referred to her actual identity in the third person. "I have heard," she had said, "that Princess Zelda intends to establish contact and trade with this city, as part of re-establishing contact with the other nations of the world."

Majacen had chimed in, agreeing. "Hyrule has cared little for dealings outside its own borders for quite some time. It is good that the young princess is showing such initiative. It is certain that with care and effort, she can rebuild the kingdom and make Hyrule a world power again."

This meant little to Colin, who had never been north of Faron Woods before the events of almost a year before, and he had paid little attention to the rest of the conversation.

As the night wore on, the members of the Company retired to their respective rooms. Colin was staying with Link and Midna, and the Hero sent him off to bed before the rowdier patrons arrived. Midna went with him, but Link stayed out in the tavern area with Arnak and Raskys.

As Colin drifted off to sleep, he thought about what an exciting adventure this was turning out to be, and how much he would have to tell the other children when they got back to Hyrule.

* * *

Arnak leaned back in his chair and casually picked his teeth with one of his daggers. This had the benefit of both distracting and unnerving his opponent, who kept looking furtively up at the big man and flinching whenever Arnak made eye contact.

The Bearer of Power made sure to be completely casual and nonthreatening, but this seemed to unnerve his opponent even more.

They were playing a familiar game, one that involved six dice and a deck of cards. It had a different name in every city Arnak came to, but the rules were almost always the same. The dice were rolled at the beginning of each hand, and each player was dealt six cards, three of which they were not allowed to look at. The players then placed bets on how close the total of their hand was to the total of the numbers on the dice, and whoever's hand was closest to the total of the dice won. It was a game of deception, mostly, and it was rare that the hand lasted long enough for everyone to lay out their cards and compare totals. Since card-players were often a talkative lot, it was also a good way to find out information about the city, and this game was no exception. Jokes, anecdotes, and advice were exchanged as often as money.

Link had joined in for a few hands, but was now simply watching, having folded quite some time ago. The other players had also likewise folded, and it was now down to Arnak, Raskys, and the small skinny man whose name Arnak did not know.

Arnak set his dagger down and slid a red Rupee across the table. "I raise you ten."

Raskys matched, and the small skinny man's rodent-like eyes darted between the two of them. He extracted a purple Rupee from his stack and placed it in the pile in the center of the table, next to the dice. "I raise you th-thirty."

Next to him, Raskys arched a skeptical eyebrow. He lowered it, and slid a purple Rupee of his own into the pile, followed by another. Arnak matched the wager, deepening his voice a shade when he did so. He smirked under his thick beard at the little jump the nervous man gave when he spoke.

The rat-like man pulled out an orange Rupee and set it in the pile. "I call." he squeaked, cringing when Arnak smiled, still perfectly friendly.

The three of them laid out their entire hand for the other players to see, and the rat-like man's hand was closer to the total than Raskys', but when Arnak turned over his final card, his hand totaled up to one less than the total of the dice, and he reached out to collect his winnings.

The rat-like man sighed deeply and scooped what was left of his stack of money into a wallet. Arnak was feeling generous, so he flipped the man a red Rupee and asked him if he knew a good ship to sail to Calatia on.

"As it so happens," the man said in his irritating nasal voice, "I'm the quartermaster on the _Viridian Breeze_, and she makes regular trips to Calatia. She's scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Can you wait that long?"

Arnak glanced over at Link, and the Hero nodded. "Certainly," Arnak replied. "Where is she berthed? I will speak with your captain tomorrow morning."

"Dock number twelve. Come around ten o'clock." The man left quickly, still glancing furtively around.

Raskys scoffed. "I don't know if I want to sail on a ship that'll let a dimwit like him be quartermaster. I half expect the money he was playing with didn't exactly belong to him."

Arnak nodded. "That was probably why he was so nervous. We will head over tomorrow to examine the ship, and if it is seaworthy, and her captain a sharp man, we will hire it." He turned to Link. "It would be wise to avoid attracting attention to ourselves, since the enemy may have spies here. It is unlikely, but it would not hurt to be cautious."

Link nodded. "I agree." He stood up from the table, collecting his stack of money. He jingled it briefly in his hand. "I believe I won a lot more than I wagered. This almost doesn't fit back into my wallet."

Raskys clapped a friendly hand on Link's shoulder. "That's the point of the game. When you get really good at this, like me, you'll need extra pockets to fit all your money in. You see, the secret is to know the deck, and to be able to do a lot of arithmetic quickly in your head, so you can figure out which cards you have, and which ones your opponents have. It's all about probability, though I doubt you know much about that. It takes skill, but anybody can get good at this with practice." The ranger shrugged. "Or, you can just bluff your way through, and that usually works, too. I remember when I first started playing this…"

Arnak collected his own winnings and moved off to the bar as Raskys talked to Link. He ordered a mug of ale, and left a generous tip for the barkeep, a short, stout man with thickly muscled arms and thinning red hair.

He drank his ale as he looked around the common room at all the various people gathered here. There were several sets of people huddled around tables whispering to each other, no doubt making transactions of a less-than-legal nature, but it wasn't his business, and he had no intention of stopping them.

His attention was attracted when someone shoved Link, shouting drunkenly at him. Raskys stepped between them, but the drunk knocked him aside, grabbing Link's collar and shaking him.

Arnak caught the warning flash in the Hero's eyes, and he knew the inebriated man was about to receive a surprise, but by then he had reached the scene and stepped in front of Link before the drunk tried to grab him again.

"What's your problem?" he rumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and glowering down at the unruly sailor.

The drunk waved unsteadily in Link's direction. "He made me spill my drink! I was jus' teachin' him to watch where he was goin', thas' all." The sailor looked belligerently up at him. "What business is it of yours, anyhow?"

Arnak leaned down so that the full power of his glare penetrated the sailor's stupor. "I suggest you leave. We don't want any trouble."

"Really?" The sailor smiled drunkenly. "Thas' too bad, 'cause thas' what you're gonna get!" He took a swing at Arnak, and the big man easily stepped away from it, catching the sailor's fist in his hand.

He twisted his wrist, and the drunken sailor fell to the ground, clutching his arm. One of his friends, probably equally drunk, smashed a chair over Arnak's back, and once he shook the stars from his eyes, he snaked out his leg and hooked his ankle behind the other man's knee, shoving out an open palm to knock the wind out of the man as he fell down.

The bar erupted into pandemonium as the rest of the sailors' friends attacked Arnak, Link and Raskys, and more patrons joined them on their side, fighting just for the sake of fighting.

Link held his own, once battling three men at once with nothing more than his fists and feet, since the Company had left their weapons in their rooms. Raskys did equally as well, and seemed to be enjoying himself, laughing as he twisted out of the way of blows and returned them.

Arnak remained the center of the fight, knocking aside a seemingly endless stream of men who decided to challenge him. He also used only his fists and feet, refusing to use injuring force, and focused on incapacitating his opponents as quickly as possible.

Once, he spotted the bartender wading into the fray, cracking heads and tossing out any combatant he could get his hands on, taking Rupees for the damages to his establishment.

In a momentary pause in the free-for-all, Raskys stopped next to Arnak and grinned widely. "I haven't had this much fun in months!" he shouted over the racket. He jumped at another man, throwing him into two other fighters, who then attacked both him and Raskys, as well as each other.

Arnak had to admit that the bar fight was a good release of all the stress that had been building in him, and he did allow himself to have a little fun as he threw the drunken sailors and others who attacked him aside.

The fight lasted almost half an hour, by which time most of the unruly sailors had been ejected from the tavern. Arnak stayed inside, but he could see that the fight continued out into the street, and would likely not stop until the local law-enforcement intervened.

The bartender shook his head as he started to clean up the mess. "I ought to throw the three of you out, too, but I know this wasn't your fault." He smiled wryly at Arnak. "Try not to start any more fights, or the bill will be your responsibility."

Arnak nodded. "I apologize for any damage caused. My friends and I will assist in the cleanup, if you wish."

Raskys nodded tiredly as he stood up from where he had been sitting. His tunic was ripped, and he had a trail of dried blood running from his nose, but he seemed otherwise fine.

Link was searching for his hat, which had been lost in the commotion, and once he found it, he pulled it back on. As Arnak watched, the rips and tears the fight had caused in his clothing repaired themselves, and all the various stains vanished, until the only sign he had been in a fight was his black eye and a large bruise on his cheek. Arnak wondered momentarily what the distinctive green tunic would look like if it did not have this ability.

The three of them helped the bartender straighten the furniture and clean up the crockery, most of which was broken, and around eleven o'clock, he sent them off to their rooms, saying he would finish in the morning.

Raskys and Arnak were sharing a room with Majacen, and the wizard was still awake, reading a book by lamplight. He raised an eyebrow at their disheveled appearance, and he smiled.

"Oh," he said. "That's what all that commotion was. I hope you do not make this a habit in every city we come to." His dark green eyes twinkled.

Raskys sighed as he collapsed onto his bed without even taking off his boots. "Trust me," he mumbled into his pillow, "we won't."

Arnak pulled off his boots and tossed them at the foot of his bed. He looked up at the wizard. "I did manage to find a ship, before the fight started. It's called the _Viridian Breeze_, and I'm going to go examine it tomorrow morning, if you want to go with me."

Majacen put down his book. "Certainly." He looked back down at his book. "Good night."

Arnak nodded, and he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

* * *

The next morning, Midna awoke earlier than the others, and was surprised to see that Link had a black eye and a large bruise on his cheek. She made sure he was all right, and then she went out to the common room to see what was being served for breakfast.

The proprietor was sweeping up broken plates and glasses, and she could see several broken chairs still waiting to be cleaned up.

"So, that's what all that noise was last night." Midna looked around at the room. "Who started it? It wasn't a young man in green with a funny hat, was it?"

The stout man shook his head. "No, it was some sailors from the_ Queen's Revenge_ again. The third time this month those pirates have wrecked my bar." He chuckled. "The captain always pays for the damages, though. I say they're pirates because no honest sailors have that much money to throw around. There's no real proof, though, otherwise they wouldn't be allowed to dock here."

The Twilight Princess nodded. "Anything I can do to help?"

The bartender held out his broom. "If you straighten up, I can get breakfast started."

She took it. "Where are you putting the trash?"

He shrugged. "Just sweep it out into the street. The city will take care of it."

Midna smirked. "That's service."

He shrugged again. "The Athacan government does a lot for us, but taxes are outrageous. That's the catch, I guess." He rooted around in his cupboards for ingredients. "Life's pretty good here, though. Everybody mostly leaves us alone, though we know the Gerudo are just itching to invade. Their last king, whatever his name was, sent in a force to take the city a hundred years or so ago, but since he was busy with something else, it failed. I heard he was some kind of sorcerer or something. Lucky for us he was busy, eh?"

Midna frowned slightly. "Yes, lucky."

After a while, the other members of the Hero's Company came down and breakfast was served. Zelda immediately noticed Link's black eye and expressed her concern, asking him what happened. He quickly explained the events of the night before, and Erik seemed amused, but said nothing.

After breakfast was over, Arnak and Majacen said they were going to talk to the captain of the _Viridian Breeze_, and both Link and Midna volunteered to go with them. The rest of the Company stayed behind at the inn, and most of them said they were going to help the innkeeper repair anything that could be salvaged, though Raskys said he was going out to look at the city.

The four of them made their way to the docks, and found berth twelve, and the _Viridian Breeze. _The ship's hull above the water was painted the green of her name, and her sails were decorated with wind patterns. She was a fine-looking ship, though Midna would admit that she didn't know much about ships, there being no call for them in the Twilight Realm.

Several men were up in the rigging, and one of them called down that there were people to see the captain. A large man stepped out onto the deck, and he gave a curt wave to them.

As they approached, Midna could make out more details about the man. He was tall and barrel-chested, with the weathered skin and slightly squinted eyes of someone who spent much of his time outdoors. His jet-black hair stuck out in all directions, and she could see a few streaks of gray making their way through his hairline, mostly concentrated at the temples.

He extended a hand to Arnak, who stepped forward and grasped it. "I'm Captain Gregor. I understand you want to buy passage on my ship."

Arnak nodded. "You are correct. We are making our way to Calatia, and we were told you make regular runs there."

Captain Gregor looked them over. "How many of you are there?"

"Nine, sir. We have minimal baggage." Arnak stood casually, Midna noticed, and far enough away from Gregor so that the other man did not have to look too far up at him.

Captain Gregor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Nine of you, you say. "That will mean I'll have to cancel some of my cargo. Are you willing to pay the difference?"

Arnak's face was carefully passive. "How much would that be?"

Gregor named an exorbitant sum, one that caused Midna to remark, "What are you hauling, diamonds?"

The captain shrugged. "Take it or leave it."

Arnak took a casual step toward Gregor, not quite frowning down at him. "Could you be persuaded to lower your price? Our funds are limited, and we will do whatever we can to assist you during the voyage."

Captain Gregor spit over the rail. "It's a two-week trip to Calatia. The most assistance landlubbers like yourselves could render is to stay out of the way. You'd be taking up space, space I need to make my living. Owning a ship isn't cheap, you know. I need every bit of my cargo just to keep shipshape."

"What is your cargo?" Link asked, absently reaching up to touch the bruise on his cheek.

The captain looked at him skeptically. "You a brawler, boy?" When Link shook his head, Gregor continued. "I don't allow fighting on my ship. Any man who starts a fight spends the rest of the voyage in the brig, and it ain't pleasant down there. This would apply to you, too." He ran a hand through his hair, making it stand out even more wildly. "We're hauling livestock, lumber, and farming tools. Some folks here are starting up a homestead over in Calatia, and they're shipping with us. We're also hauling mining equipment for a company out near Belakar, and that takes up most of the room."

Majacen tugged on his beard, shrugging under his cloak. "Could we see your ship?"

Gregor bristled. "She's more than seaworthy, if that's what you mean. I've taken her almost all over the world, and she's given me no trouble in more than twenty years. She's survived three hurricanes and two attacks from sea serpents, and will still be sailing after you're dead and gone."

The captain was obviously very proud of his ship, and Midna made a mental note to not make any disparaging remarks about it. It wouldn't be worth the trouble.

Majacen smiled broadly, showing his white teeth through his beard. "Of that, good sir, I have no doubt. I merely meant to inquire if I might see if there is enough room for us without canceling any of your cargo. We would keep to ourselves, even if this meant spending the trip in your hold."

Captain Gregor shrugged. "Come with me, then."

He showed them through the ship, and Midna was impressed with how clean and organized everything was. Gregor was obviously an experienced seaman, and he kept a good ship.

When they had finished their tour, Captain Gregor escorted them back out to the dock. "So, what say you?"

Arnak crossed his arms over his chest, his manner still carefully casual. "If you cut your price in half, we will sail with you."

Midna could see the greedy gleam in Gregor's eyes as he stuck out his hand. "Done. We sail with the morning tide. Be there, or we leave you behind." Midna thought that he had been expecting to halve his number anyway.

Arnak gripped the captain's hand. "You will receive payment when we are on the dock in Calatia, Captain Gregor. We will be here tomorrow morning."

Gregor nodded. "See you then." He went back inside, and the four of them went back to the inn.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day looking around the city, and passed an uneventful night in the inn. The next morning, the entire Company was gathered on the docks next to the _Viridian Breeze_.

Captain Gregor appeared on deck and waved them aboard. He had a broad smile on his face, and as the others boarded the ship, he clapped Arnak on the shoulder. "I will cut your price in half again. I received word yesterday that another ship sprung a leak and will be a few days with repairs, and I have arranged to carry part of their cargo. The trip will be a little crowded, but that much more profitable." He waved at the rest of the Company. "You will have free run of the ship, but I ask that you stay out of the way of my crew." He moved off, shouting orders, and the Company made their way below deck to stow what baggage they had in the hold.

Midna could feel the ship moving as she, Link, and Colin went back up to watch as the ship sailed out of the harbor. The three of them found a quiet spot on the rail and looked out at the harbor, seeing the veritable forest of masts as _Viridian Breeze_ picked up speed and passed several other ships on the way out of the harbor.

The Twilight Princess enjoyed the salty smell of the sea breeze as the ship headed out to sea, something she had never before experienced. Colin, standing next to her, was looking around in wide-eyed wonderment. She smiled at his youthful eagerness, and noticed Link was also looking around, though not quite as energetically as Colin.

She touched his cheek just below his black eye. "That's quite a shiner you've got there, Mr. Hero. I don't think I've ever seen you get one this bad, not even from when that Darknut hit you in the face with his shield. What happened?"

Link grinned sheepishly. "Someone hit me with a pitcher. I was just lucky it didn't break, I guess."

Midna chuckled. "It's pretty funny for the great and noble Hero to get injured in a bar fight. That wasn't something I expected from you."

Link raised his hands. "Hey, I didn't start the fight. Some sailor took a swing at Arnak, and it just went crazy from there. I was just defending myself."

"Sure, Mr. Hero." Midna laughed again. "Just don't make it a habit. Your funny hat attracts enough attention already."

Link's expression was puzzled. "What's wrong with my hat?"

The Twilight Princess laughed harder. "Nothing, Link. Forget I said anything." She snorted as he lifted a hand to his head, and turned back to look out at the ocean as the ship sped on, and the city receded into the distance.

* * *

Author's Note: I wrote this chapter and Chapter 19 almost simultaneously, so hopefully it will be up within a few days. Next: the Gerudo and the Antihero, and the identity of the shadowy backer of the Oocca's invasion is revealed! As always, please review, and if you saw anything that needs improvement, don't hesitate to let me know.

(Revision Note) As with previous cases, I put the flashback in italics, as well as some minor re-wording and correction of punctuation. Thanks for reading!


	19. Desert Warriors

Nineteen

Nabooru looked out at the vast expanse of ever-shifting sand, now turned various shades of purple and red by the rays of the setting sun. She did not truly see the colors, for her mind was on other things.

The Gerudo had been interrogating the creature for nearly a week now, and he hadn't divulged a single bit of information to them other than loud and varied curses. His companion was substantially more helpful, but he knew little they wanted to know, and so they had mostly left him in his cell.

Some of the women on the council had been less than pleased to hear that Nabooru had captured a group of Hylians and had let them go, but the Matriarch herself had sided with Nabooru, and that had been the end of it.

Later, the Matriarch had questioned the raider at length about what had happened at Ganondorf's pyramid, and had been mostly silent through Nabooru's description. She agreed that it was wise to let them go, but she was also curious about some of the strange things that had happened since Nabooru and her raiders had captured the Antihero, such as the sword the creature bore disappearing, and his near-escape shortly before they arrived in this city.

According to the Gerudo leader, she was considering sending Nabooru and her raiders back to the pyramid to investigate. Strange things had been happening in the capital for the last week, and the Matriarch was concerned that the Dark Lord was active again.

Nabooru was not convinced it was the Accursed One himself who was causing the problems. He had never been recorded to come back so soon after a defeat, and the Hero himself had confirmed that he had fought the warlord, and that he was the one behind Hyrule being covered in the thick clouds of Twilight. If he kept to form, they would not hear anything from him for decades.

Her Gossip Stone buzzed, and she pulled it out of the pouch on her belt. "Yes?"

In the small crystal's facets, a face appeared, one she recognized as the Sheikah warrior Erik. "I am checking in," he said without preamble, "to let you know that we have reached the bend in the river you spoke of earlier. How far is the city now?"

Nabooru sat on the ground, crossing her legs under her, and unrolled a map, consulting it. "You have less than twenty miles to go before you reach the city." She looked up at the sky, at the dark clouds gathering there, and remembered what her scouts had said earlier. "It is going to storm tonight, so I suggest you secure your camp. The storm will likely delay any ships leaving tomorrow, so I also suggest you find an inn immediately after you arrive."

Erik's image in the stone nodded. "I will tell the others. Have you learned anything more from the creature?"

The raider scowled. "He is as uncooperative as ever. I must admit that I respect his tolerance for pain, since we have given him more than enough of it."

The Sheikah nodded grimly. "He has dealt out more than his share, so he deserves whatever he gets. The Hero or I will call again tomorrow to inform you of our progress." As usual, he abruptly cut off the connection.

Nabooru stood, looking out at the desert again, and she turned to go back to the city.

It spread out before her, nestled under a cliff and supremely defensible from attack. No outsiders ever made it this far into the desert, but the Gerudo had long ago learned to be cautious. Of course, it was only defensible from conventional attack, as the Accursed One's attack on another city a year ago had proved. There was nothing left of it except a pile of rubble that had smoldered for weeks afterward. The very stone had melted beneath his fury, but her sisters there had remained defiant to the end. Nabooru herself had been there at the city's destruction, and had had her first real taste of genuine fear as she heard the voice of the Accursed One himself boom forth. She had been one of the lucky few to escape, and she still wondered sometimes why she had been spared, when so many others had died.

The raider made her way to the council chamber, looking for the Matriarch. The Gerudo leader was not there, but Nabooru's gaze, as it usually did when she was in this room, drifted to a portrait of the Accursed One that hung on one wall. The storytellers said that he had had it commissioned at his coronation, and it depicted him actually smiling, not a hint of evil about him. He was dressed in black armor overlaid with Gerudo designs in silver scrollwork, and he held an ornate jeweled scimitar in his right hand. He looked proud and noble, a warrior king of legend at the start of his career.

The coronation portrait and its companion hung in this chamber as a reminder that even the best of intentions can lead to disaster. They were also kept there so that the Gerudo people did not forget the cause of their troubles, since the other portrait, one that had been made shortly before his defeat, hung on the opposite wall. Nabooru crossed the room to stand in front of it, and crossed her arms over her chest as she studied it.

The malevolence in his eyes shone plainly in this portrait, and his pose was threatening, as if daring anyone to question his supremacy. His face was much more lined in this portrait, though there were not many years between it and its counterpart. His armor was much more ornate, and he had a different sword, this one evil-looking and painted to have a thin line of red along its edge. His left hand was raised, and it was curled into a fist around the Hylian Triforce, a gleeful smile on his face. His foot was planted on what looked like a body, though she couldn't be sure.

"I prefer the other one."

Nabooru started at the voice, her hand instinctively moving to a dagger on her belt, and she turned to see the Matriarch standing a few feet away, the same jeweled scimitar from the other portrait hanging from her belt. It was the traditional weapon of the Gerudo leader, and was a badge of office, being the sword of the first Gerudo king.

"I am sorry, my lady. I was looking for you, and I suppose I was distracted."

The Matriarch smiled slightly. "These portraits are very distracting, the one you are looking at especially. I find myself staring at them sometimes, wondering how he got from one to the other. I still haven't figured it out."

She was tall, and in excellent physical condition, like all Gerudo. Her long red hair was restrained by a thin golden chain connected to her forehead jewel, the only sign apart from her finely made clothes that she was not an ordinary Gerudo warrior. As was the tradition, she had surrendered her name upon taking the mantle of Matriarch, and Nabooru no longer remembered what it was, the office being viewed as more important than the individual.

"What was it you wanted to tell me, sister?" Her light blue eyes met Nabooru's kindly, and she waited patiently.

"I meant to inquire what we will be doing with the creature, my lady. He refuses to tell us anything, and we cannot keep him here forever. The same goes for his companion. No matter how much he tells us about the Accursed One, he still knows nothing truly useful to us."

The Matriarch nodded. "I have been thinking much the same thing. I have thought to seal the creature deep in the crypts, since we cannot kill him, and leave him there with repelling gems to negate his powers. I do not know what to do with the other one. Even if he was the Accursed One's servant, I am reluctant to just kill him when he has done nothing against us." She rested a hand on Nabooru's shoulder. "You look tired, sister. Go get some rest, and we will discuss this in council tomorrow."

The raider nodded and left the chamber, noticing the Matriarch looking at both portraits in turn and frowning.

* * *

Nemo, the Antihero, hung mutely on the framework to which he was strapped. A Gerudo woman, he didn't know -or care- which one, stood in front of him, shouting questions into his face and then striking him when he did not answer.

Deciding to provide himself with some amusement, he looked up at her and said the most offensive curse against her he knew in her language. He grinned nastily at her shocked reaction, then grunted in pain when she hit him in the jaw.

One of his predecessors had been captured by the Gerudo once, and since all of that Antihero's knowledge was in him, he knew what their tactics were, and had steeled himself against them. Mere pain wasn't going to loosen his tongue; he had long since learned to ignore it.

Sighing in frustration, the Gerudo left. He called out the curse again after her, adding a few more in a few other languages.

"What is your secret? Why are you so resistant to pain?" his companion inquired. Zherron, former chief scientist to Ganondorf, did not hang from a framework, as Nemo did, but was instead chained by an ankle to a stake driven into the floor.

The Antihero shrugged. "Tough skin, I guess." He didn't feel like explaining himself to Zherron today, and he hoped the little man would leave him alone.

Zherron looked at him, and Nemo could practically feel him dissecting the Antihero in his head. "Perhaps you have some kind of regenerative power." The scientist clasped his hands behind his back and started to pace. "Do you have a species, or are you unique?"

Nemo scowled. The entire time they had been here, Zherron had been pestering him with questions about his abilities, and so far, he had simply ignored the scientist. He had only brought the little man with him to show him through the pyramid to the portal, but when the two of them had been captured, they had been kept together for some reason. If he wasn't securely restrained, Nemo would probably have killed the scientist by now.

But, he still had nothing to do besides wait, so he decided to answer Zherron. If he could get the scientist thinking, he would probably shut up for a while. "Both."

The grim scientist frowned. "What do you mean?"

"My 'species' is Antihero, and I am the only one, though all of us have shared the same body." Let him stew on _that_ for a while!

"You used conflicting terms. Are you several individuals sharing one corporeal form?" Zherron had that analytical look on his face again.

"No, it's just me up here."

Zherron fell silent for several long minutes, and Nemo thought he had finally stumped the little man. He enjoyed the silence, and was disappointed when Zherron spoke again.

"How many incarnations have you had?"

Nemo looked strangely at the scientist. "What?"

"The only way for you to describe yourself as 'us' and not have multiple personalities is if you have had a series of personalities, or incarnations, perhaps ending when you die. That is the only logical explanation I can think of."

Nemo chuckled. "Who says it has to be logical?"

Zherron sighed patiently. "I have formed a hypothesis about you during our captivity, despite your attempts to avoid my questions, and I need you to confirm or correct it. Will you listen, and promise to answer truthfully?"

The Antihero scowled. He didn't really want to keep answering questions, but Zherron wasn't going to stop asking, no matter what he said. The only way to shut the scientist up was to tell him what he wanted to know and wait for him to stop and think it over. A different sort of pain, but much more effective, Nemo supposed.

"Go ahead," he said gruffly. On the other hand, this could be entertaining, since the scientist would likely get most of the details wrong.

Zherron hummed thoughtfully. "You are not a naturally occurring species, correct?" Nemo nodded, and the scientist continued. "I have concluded that you are a product of sorcery, though who placed this curse upon you, I do not know.

"I know of the Hylian Heroes from what my master told me, and from your verbal exchanges with the one known as Link, I have concluded that you are a duplicate of him, designed to oppose him. But," he stopped pacing and raised his finger to punctuate his point, "since I know there have been other Shadow duplicates of Heroes in the past, one of your other comments lead me to my earlier conclusion. You have confirmed that you have had past personalities, and I have reasoned that whatever curse that formed you shapes you to duplicate the current Hero in both appearance and demeanor. Is this correct?" He looked up at Nemo, his eyebrows raised slightly as he waited for an answer.

The scientist was right so far, but the Antihero debated on whether or not to confirm this, since he was growing suspicious about the scientist's questions. He decided to go ahead. Zherron was too weak to really do anything to him, anyway. "Yeah, that's pretty close."

Zherron hummed thoughtfully again. "Perhaps, because of your nature, you are intended to be the opposite of the Hero's personality. Link is quiet and polite, and you are loud and unmannerly. This would fit a shadowy duplicate, I think." He crossed his arms and rested his chin on his hand. "Of more import is who put the curse on you. Was it my master?"

Nemo scoffed. "Ganondorf? No, it was long before him. I've served him a few times, though." He grinned nastily. "You know, he tried to get me to kill this newest Hero about a year ago?"

Zherron's interest was obviously sparked. "What happened?"

Nemo was rather proud of the fast one he had pulled on Ganondorf, and didn't mind bragging about it. "He sent me to the Lakebed Temple, and wanted me to destroy Link while he was still fairly weak, since Ganon hadn't regenerated all of his powers yet. I didn't feel like it, so I didn't. I went to the Twilight Realm instead."

The scientist's face was puzzled. "Why did you do that?"

Nemo chuckled. "I heard old Ganon-dork and his flunky Zant talking, and I thought the Twilight Realm would be more interesting. Plus, and you'll find this interesting, my power grows with the Hero's, to match him, so I didn't want to off him until he had gotten me good and invincible."

Zherron was silent for several moments. Nemo thought that he was finally finished questioning him, and now he could try to rest, but the scientist spoke again.

"What did you do in the Twilight Realm?"

Nemo smirked at the grim little man. "Well, I got stuck there when Zant broke the Mirror of Twilight, so I didn't do much. I kicked those little howling guys around a little, though that wasn't very fun. Mostly I waited for Link to show up, since I knew he would sooner or later."

"You did not fight him there?"

"Nope. He was busy. But, I knew he would fight Zant, and since I had learned that old Crazy-Eyes had Ganon's Triforce of Shadow, all I had to do was wait until Link killed him to claim it for myself. I spent most of the time between then and now trying to figure out how use this thing." He waved his left hand, with its upside-down Triforce marking. He frowned suddenly. "Still haven't been able to get it to work, though. I guess that was a waste of time, eh?"

"It was not."

Both prisoners jumped at the voice; it didn't belong to either of them.

Nemo strained to look behind him, but the owner of the voice stepped forward. It was a tall, powerfully built man swathed in a great black cloak, none of him showing except his glowing yellow eyes.

Zherron collapsed to the floor, prostrating himself in a show of obeisance. "Master! It is you!"

The cloaked man bent down, and Zherron looked up at him. "You are right in that you will serve me." He turned to look at Nemo. "As promised, I have come to free you."

The Antihero smirked. "It's about time. Come on, hurry up. These straps chafe."

The man's gloved fist emerged from his cloak like a striking snake and impacted with Nemo's jaw. "You will not speak to me in such a manner, creature. I will have your respect, and your obedience. Do not forget our bargain."

Nemo sighed deeply. "Yes… master," he grated between clenched teeth. If he was not certain that this mage could destroy him with a snap of his fingers, he would sink a dagger in his back. He was arrogant in the extreme, and he strongly reminded Nemo of Ganondorf in that regard.

The cloaked mage moved closer, until he was only a foot away from Nemo. He leaned in close to the Antihero, and Nemo could make out his prominent nose and beard under the cowl. His voice was low and dangerous, and Nemo squirmed under his glare. "You will show me the proper respect, creature. I would be more than happy to leave you here, since I can just as easily complete my plans without you. You will not find me a kind master, but I assure you that service to me would be preferable to staying here."

He turned to look at Zherron again. "I have other matters to take care of before I free you, but I will return at a later time." The mage strode toward the wall of their cell and walked straight through it, his black cloak swirling like smoke about him.

Zherron looked up at Nemo. "What was your bargain?"

Nemo hung his head. "He told me that he would free me if I served him."

"That does not sound so bad."

"Part of the bargain is that I have to give him the Triforce of Shadow. He said he'd kill me to get it if he had to."

Zherron perked up at this, a demented smile slowly spreading across his features.

Nemo scowled at him. "What are you so happy about?"

"Perhaps if he kills you, he will allow me to dissect your body. I am sure you would make for fascinating study."

Nemo snarled. "So that's why you were asking me all those questions! I've got news for you, little man. I'm not going to be your research project." The Antihero summoned up as much of his corrosive saliva as he could and launched it at Zherron, scowling when the grim scientist dodged, still grinning.

* * *

Nabooru was sound asleep when the alarm was raised, though her warrior training snapped her to full alertness when she heard the racket.

She swung her legs over her small sleeping pallet, snatching up her scimitar from where it rested and moving to the door to see what was going on. She could see other warriors emerging from the other buildings, rushing to the central square of the city. Nabooru followed them, ducking between the adobe buildings, using a shortcut she had found years before.

When the raider emerged from the alley and into the square, a scene of utter chaos and horror greeted her.

A single tall man in a thick black cloak stood at the center of the square, a broadsword in his hands, knocking aside any of her fellow warriors who attacked him. A hood obscured his face, but his cloak was thrown back over his shoulders, revealing black leather and chainmail, undecorated save for a scrollwork pattern on his stiff leather cuirass that looked like a Gerudo design. Surprisingly, he was not using lethal force, and none of her sisters scattered on the ground around him looked dead. This struck her as very odd, given the viciousness of his fighting style. He would turn his sword to hit warriors over the head with the pommel or the flat of the blade, or he would strike them with his fist or his knee, but he never cut or stabbed.

She found it astonishing that a single person was holding off so many of her sisters, trained since they could hold a sword to use it, and making it seem easy, ducking under and twisting out of the way of strikes. As far as she could tell, not a single blow had touched him, not even slicing into his billowing cloak that boiled like smoke around him with his movements

Nabooru shunted her curiosity aside and climbed up the side of the building she was standing next to, finding hand and toe-holds with practiced speed. She made her way over the rooftops until she was directly behind the mysterious man. She watched for a few moments, calculating her plan, as the cloaked man backhanded a Gerudo warrior into a wall. Nabooru raised her eyebrows at how far her sister flew. Obviously, the man was very strong, almost unnaturally so.

She backed up for a few feet, and then took off running, leaping as far as she could when she reached the edge of the rooftop. She raised her scimitar over her head, point downwards, intending on plunging it into the attacker's back.

He turned, and it seemed to Nabooru that time slowed down as their eyes met. His piercing yellow gaze seemed to bore into her mind as he raised a hand in her direction, as if to ward off her blade.

Suddenly, Nabooru realized that she was not moving any closer to him. Surprised, she looked down to see that she was indeed not moving, frozen there in midair. She struggled, but remained hanging upon nothing eight feet above the ground.

The cloaked man kept skillfully blocking the scimitar strikes of her fellow Gerudo with the broadsword in his other hand, but he continued to look up at Nabooru, his gloved hand slowly clenching into a fist. The raider felt a great pressure on her chest, as if she were being squeezed in a giant vise. Black spots started to form at the edge of her vision, and she could not draw in a breath. Suddenly, there was a rush of air around her and she was flying.

Disoriented, she felt herself crash into the legs of several of her fellow warriors, and they went down in a heap, collapsing onto her. Just as suddenly, the weight vanished, and she flew through the air again, coming to a jarring landing on her face, the rough stone scratching her cheek.

Slowly, Nabooru pushed herself up, feeling an intense pain in her chest, probably a broken rib. She looked up at the cloaked man, glaring down at her with his burning yellow eyes. He held his broadsword loosely in his right hand, still clean and unstained. She wondered why he was attacking, and why he had not killed any of her sisters. They lay scattered around the square, groaning, bruised and battered.

One of the youngest warriors, a girl who was one of the last Gerudo children to be born, suddenly jumped up and charged the man. Without shifting his gaze from Nabooru, he raised his left hand and met her chin with his fist. Nabooru heard the sickening crunch of bone, and the girl collapsed to the ground.

"Why are you doing this?" she said in Hylian, pressing a hand to her side.

"Because," he replied in Gerudo, his voice chillingly familiar, "I am your king, and you must acknowledge me."

* * *

Nemo listened closely, but the sounds of combat had stopped. "Huh," he remarked to Zherron, "I didn't think he was going to go out and kill them all." He grinned. "I would have done that for him."

Zherron was also listening, his head cocked to one side. "Someone approaches."

Nemo had heard the footsteps, too. "Well, that didn't take long!" he called out.

But, to his surprise, it was not the cloaked mage who stepped into the room, but a richly dressed Gerudo woman. She held an ornate but still deadly-looking scimitar in her hands, and her light blue eyes darted about the room, finally settling on him.

"You, monster. Do you know what is going on? When I heard the commotion, I thought you had escaped."

Nemo jerked on the thick leather straps binding him to the framework. "Nope, still here." He grinned evilly, making sure his black teeth were showing. "But not for long. If you were hoping to hide, I think you picked the wrong room. He should be back any time now."

The regal woman's gaze was scornful. "I am not hiding, monster. I intend to confront whatever is attacking my people as soon as I find it."

Nemo chuckled. "Better get comfortable. Like I said, he should be back any time now. But, if you're really in a hurry to die, I think he went to the central square."

The woman looked back at him with a puzzled expression. "Who is 'he', creature?"

The Antihero shrugged. "I don't know. Why don't you go find out? He's a talkative sort, so I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you." He made a dismissive waving motion with his restrained hand. "Go on, go get him. You might be just in time to see him kill a few of your warriors, though it sounds like he's already done."

The woman fixed him with a withering glare and turned to go, her hair streaming out like a comet's tail behind her with the speed of her stride.

"Who was that?" Zherron asked.

Nemo shrugged. "It doesn't matter. She'll probably be dead in a few minutes anyway."

A cry of challenge sounded out, followed by the sound of clashing blades and more battle cries.

The Antihero grinned. "Won't be long now."

* * *

The sinister cloaked man was pacing in front of Nabooru, as if waiting for something. His eerie glowing eyes darted about restlessly, and he began to toss his broadsword back and forth between his gauntleted hands. Every so often, he would stop and stoop down to check a fallen Gerudo warrior. Nabooru noted with incredulity that he seemed to be seeing if they were all right.

She was trying as hard as she could to summon the strength to stand up and challenge him again, but a heavy, invisible weight was pinning her to the ground. The few of her fellow warriors that were still conscious were likewise stirring, but none of them could seem to stand up, either.

Suddenly, the man's hooded head snapped around to look at a point off to Nabooru's left. She turned to follow his gaze, and she saw the Matriarch standing at the edge of the square, the jeweled scimitar in her hand gleaming in the torchlight.

The leader of the Gerudo people stood unafraid and defiant, her light blue eyes meeting the glowing yellow ones of her adversary unflinchingly.

"Who are you, and why are you attacking my people?" she said, bringing up her scimitar. The Matriarch stepped slowly forward, her muscles visibly tensing.

The cloaked man responded with a deep chuckle, again eerily familiar to Nabooru. "Your people? They are mine by our oldest laws, and the time has come for you to recognize my rightful place as your king."

The Matriarch stopped a few feet away from Nabooru and the cloaked man. "We have no king, arrogant one. There has been no male born to us in more than a century, and no children at all in almost twenty years. Why do you make such an obviously false claim?"

The man rested the tip of his sword on the ground, and his cloak slipped back over his shoulders to cover him entirely again. With his luminescent eyes, he now resembled an old Gerudo phantom, and Nabooru felt a chill slip down her spine, an unfamiliar sensation.

"I am a full-blooded Gerudo, and I am male. Therefore, I am your king. Your warriors attacked me when I proclaimed this, and this… regrettable situation resulted. You will notice I have killed none of my sisters, since our kind has had more than its share of death."

The Matriarch glared into the man's hood, still meeting his unearthly yellow eyes. "Enough, Accursed One. Your tricks will not work on us any more. You forfeited any claim you had to your former throne when you betrayed us to seek the Hylian magic. Be gone from here, phantom!" She pulled a thin dagger out of her belt and hurled it at the tall cloaked man. Nabooru had been getting the sinking feeling that the man was Ganondorf, also, though she did not see how it was possible. She waited for his response.

He dodged the thrown dagger easily. "Foolish woman. You do not realize the greatness our people could have had under Ganondorf's leadership." He gestured at Nabooru with a gloved hand, his cloak swirling as he did so. "If this woman's ancestress and namesake had sided with the Great King, instead of aiding the Hero of Time and the other Sages, our people would rule the green lands of Hyrule still, instead of scratching a living out of rocks and sand. Ganondorf was the greatest leader our people have yet known, and he knew what had to be done to raise our people to where they belong."

If this was Ganondorf, why was he referring to himself in the third person? Was this not the Accursed One, but truly another male Gerudo, as he claimed?

The Matriarch was not swayed, and Nabooru felt a deep respect for the other woman as she sneered at the mysterious cloaked man who so resembled the Accursed One he spoke of so fervently.

"The Accursed One is the reason our people are in the state we are in now. He has approached us several times since his defeat at the hands of the Hero of Time, trying a new trick each time. Your words are pointless. The Gerudo have moved on as a people, and you waste your time trying to convert us to your madness again. I will not allow it. Now, go back to the underworld where you belong, Accursed One, nameless and without honor!" She raised her scimitar again, and started forward, closing the distance between them. The Matriarch obviously thought that this was Ganondorf, either come to life again or appearing as a phantom, though Nabooru was not so sure.

The cloaked man shook his head. "You are wrong about so much, and I regret what I must now do to correct you." His broadsword erupted out of his cloak, and the heavy black fabric flared out like a demon's wings as he leaped forward to bring it crashing down in an overhand strike.

The Matriarch brought up her scimitar to counter the strike, and the strain was apparent on her face as the blades connected. She spun away, and with a defiant cry of challenge, she leaped at him with a return strike.

The clash of steel rang over and over again as the two exchanged blows and drove each other about the square, neither gaining the upper hand but neither faltering. Nabooru wondered why the cloaked mage did not simply hold the Matriarch immobile, the way he had her, and finish her off quickly. Then she remembered that the Matriarch's forehead jewel was a repelling gem, and might be preventing the cloaked mage from using his powers on her.

As the mysterious man and the Gerudo leader battled, Nabooru realized that he did not intend to kill the Matriarch, either. He was the better duelist, that much was clear from his impressive sword skills, but every opportunity that arose to wound or disarm the Matriarch, he ignored. He seemed intent on tiring the Matriarch out, on making her give up, but he underestimated her resolve if that was his intent.

The cloaked man raised his broadsword over his head and repeatedly smashed it down in a series of powerful strikes, with only half a second between each one, and the Matriarch was forced to take a few steps back under the relentless assault.

The Gerudo leader ducked under his swinging blade and lashed out with her foot, aimed at his chest. To Nabooru's surprise, the kick landed, but the man closed his eyes and the Matriarch's foot disappeared in his chest, as if it were made of sand. The shock of this seeming impossibility was enough to cause her to lose her grip on her scimitar, and he dropped his broadsword and grabbed her ankle, spinning in a circle.

When he had built up enough momentum, he released his hold on the Matriarch, and she sailed through the air, smashing into a wall and slumping to the ground. The cloaked man picked up his sword and sheathed it, pulling his cloak forward over his shoulders again.

Nabooru felt the invisible weight holding her to the ground vanish. Immediately, she leaped to her feet, ignoring the pain this caused, and sprang at the man, her hands stretched out to grasp his neck. His back was turned, and he was bending down to check the Matriarch where she lay.

To her mild surprise, she succeeded in grabbing hold of him, and as he stood abruptly to throw her off, she heard a ripping noise and his cloak came loose, following her to the ground. She threw it aside, intent on seeing his face.

To her horror, it was a face every Gerudo knew as well as their own, and were taught to fear from childhood; the face of the man responsible for all their troubles, the face of the man responsible for them being driven deep into the desert, and the face of the man responsible for the collective hatred towards their race.

The man's face was that of Ganondorf Dragmire, the King of Evil.

* * *

Nemo strained as hard as he could, but he could not loosen the straps holding him in place. He was tired of hanging here, and he was growing angrier every minute the cloaked mage did not come to free him.

Zherron stood, and started to pace back and forth across the floor of their cell, the chain around his ankle rattling with his movement.

As the grim scientist reached the end of his chain and started to turn around, Nemo suddenly called for him to stop. "Wait! Come here a second."

The scientist looked at him dubiously, and the Antihero sighed irritably. "I'm not going to hurt you, you little weasel. Now get over here!"

As he thought, when Zherron reached the limit of his length of chain, he would be able to reach out and undo the strap holding Nemo's right hand in place, if he stretched. He explained this to the scientist, but Zherron did not move.

"Well, come on! What are you waiting for? If you let me loose, I'll free you and we can get out of here!"

"The master has not returned yet."

Nemo growled in frustration. "Forget him, he's busy! If we leave now, we might be able to get away before he comes back."

Zherron fixed him with a quizzical look. "You gave his spy the Sword of Darkness and two of the Fused Shadows. Why did you do that if you do not intend to serve him?"

"I just did that so that he would think I would serve him. I was planning on escaping and stealing them back after he freed me anyway, and if we go now, we have a better chance of getting away. Now, come on, loosen the strap already!"

Zherron shook his head. "Your plan has very little chance of succeeding. The master is already powerful, and giving him three magical objects of undetermined power level was most unwise, if you did not intend to serve him and further his advantage." He took a few steps backward. "This shows a degree of mental instability, and inability to make rational decisions. This makes for interesting research, but is of little use to us now."

Nemo jerked with renewed force at his straps, hurling every curse he could think of at the little man and driving himself into a frenzy. If he could get loose, Zherron would die, and the death would not be a pleasant one. Furthering Nemo's rage, the little man sat down and watched him calmly, probably making notes in his head.

All the Antihero succeeded in doing was scraping his wrists raw, and because of the repelling gems set into the bars of the framework, he felt a trickle of blood making its way down his arm. He finally stopped raging and slumped back against the framework, closing his eyes.

The first thing he would do when his malevolent benefactor released him would be to try to kill him and Zherron, no matter what the consequences. He would rather be dead than in servitude, anyway.

* * *

Nabooru's insides instinctively clenched with fear at the sight of the mysterious man's face, and he smiled malevolently at her reaction.

"Does my appearance surprise you?" He took a step towards her, spreading his hands.

She made a protective gesture at him, scrambling backwards. Part of her mind scolded her for reacting with such fear, but another part overrode it, reminding her of everything the Accursed One had done and was capable of.

"I thought so. I understand I look almost exactly like him." The man, or demon, or whatever he was, crossed his arms over his chest and stood there, a patient look on his horribly familiar face. He was the image that hung in the council chamber come to life, every detail of his face the same as the portrait that had been preserved as a reminder of what the Accursed One had done.

Nabooru continued to crawl slowly backwards, her mind racing. What did he mean? Was this Ganondorf or not? Was it the Dark Lord returned from the dead, or was it some eldritch creature with his image, escaped from the underworld to torment the Gerudo people?

The man chuckled darkly, his voice exactly the same as the one that had issued forth from the glowing yellow ball of energy that had destroyed the neighboring city almost a year ago. He casually raised a hand, and she felt herself leave the ground, floating closer to him. He turned, and she set down next to the Matriarch, who was just now waking up.

The mysterious man laughed again at the Gerudo leader's instinctive gasp when she caught sight of his face. He gestured again, and both women floated up into the air, powerless.

"Ganondorf!" the Matriarch hissed. "Why are you here? How have you returned to life so quickly?"

The man bent down to pick up the Matriarch's scimitar, and he held it reverently as he spoke.

"I am not Ganondorf," he said, "but I am his legal heir." He held up the scimitar. "This is mine by right."

"Who are you, then?" Nabooru asked, struggling vainly against his invisible hold.

He held the scimitar aloft, as if leading a charge. "My name is Raneses."

Nabooru scowled. The name meant 'eternal ruler' in Gerudo, and was the name of their first recorded king. If he had given the name to himself, he was certainly as arrogant as the man he resembled.

"Did the Dark Lord create you?" the Matriarch asked.

Raneses shook his head, lowering the ancient weapon. "No, I am a full-blooded Gerudo, as I told you before. I was born exactly one hundred years after Ganondorf was, from one of his daughters' daughters who fled the country after his defeat. My blood is pure, and by our laws, I am your king. If you accept this, I promise you that our people will have the Hyrule we have so long coveted after the war is over."

The Matriarch shook her head. "You cannot be full-blooded, if the Accursed One's daughter left the country and mated with a man outside the desert."

Raneses sneered, his expression nearly matching that of his ancestor's later portrait. "A feeble attempt to deny my heritage. You know as well as I that Gerudo blood is strong, and overpowers any traits from the other parent. How would our race continue if this was not so? Our race has mated with Hylians in the past, but do any of us have pointed ears?" He stepped to where the young girl who had attacked him earlier lay, and he gestured at her, her unconscious body lifting off the ground and turning so that she faced Nabooru and the Matriarch. "This girl's father was a merchant from Holodrum, though you could not tell it from looking at her." He gestured at the Matriarch as the girl floated back down to the ground. "You yourself are the daughter of an Athacan pirate who was exiled into the desert. By your reasoning, you have less claim to the throne than I do."

"How do you know all this?" the Matriarch whispered, her expression shocked.

"I have been watching my people from the time I received my power, in preparation for claiming my throne. I promise you that I will lead my people to greatness if you accept me."

"What kind of leader attacks his own people?" Nabooru spat at him. "You are no different from the man whose face you wear, and we will not have another Ganondorf destroy our people again."

Raneses shrugged minutely. "I was merely defending myself. I did not kill any of my sisters, nor will I ever do so." He held up the scimitar. "Besides, does not one of our oldest traditions dictate that the leader of our people must also be our greatest warrior?"

The Matriarch met his eyes defiantly. "You will not win our hearts with violence. You have not demonstrated anything to me other than the fact that you are just as power-hungry as your ancestor, and I will not allow such a person to lead us to ruin again."

Raneses sighed deeply. "I can see you are reluctant to accept me, so I will give you time to think it over." He gently set the jeweled scimitar on the ground at his feet. "You have one week. I will leave one of my servants here for when you wish to speak to me again." He snapped his fingers, and a humanoid shape appeared out of his shadow, entirely black and appearing to be made of smoke, with glowing yellow eyes like its master.

He picked up his cloak and swept it around his shoulders, pulling up the hood again. "At the end of the week, tell my servant your decision. I ask only that you remember what I am capable of, and where our people could go under my rulership." He stood tall, and held his hands out in front of him, as if they were the trays of an imaginary scale. "Your decision is essentially this: keep hiding in the desert, doomed to die out, or stand beside me and claim what is rightfully yours."

With that, he turned and strode out of sight, leaving his evil-looking servant behind and dropping the two women to the ground.

The Matriarch picked up her scimitar and looked first at the warriors scattered about the square, helping each other to their feet, and then at Raneses' servant.

She looked at Nabooru, her expression resigned. "Tend to the wounded, then summon the women of the council. We have much to discuss."

* * *

Nemo was less than happy to see the cloaked man enter his cell, but he remained still as the man gestured and the Antihero's bonds flew open.

Without warning, he sprang towards Zherron and delivered a vicious kick to the little man's ribs. As expected, the cloaked man jerked him away from the scientist with a pull of magic, and glowered at him from under his hood.

"You will restrain yourself from such displays while in my service, creature. You will be able to indulge your bloodlust soon enough." The cloaked man gestured again while he spoke, and Zherron's chain dropped off his ankle.

Nemo looked at the mage suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"I have a task for you, but first I have one for your companion." He turned to Zherron. "How much have you learned about him?"

"Enough, my lord. I believe I will be able to extract his Triforce without permanently damaging him."

"Good." The man's tone was pleased. "You may start as soon as we arrive at my fortress."

"Wait, what do you mean 'extract'? What's he going to do?" Nemo actually began to feel panic at the edge of his mind, an emotion he almost never felt.

He got the distinct impression that the cloaked mage was smiling under his enshrouding hood. "Since you are almost entirely Shadow magic, the Triforce of Shadow has bonded itself to you so strongly that it will have to be physically cut out of you. Zherron here is skilled enough to do this without killing you, since you are of more use to me alive than dead."

Nemo backed up, his hands held up in front of him. "There is no way I'm going to let you do that."

The mage raised his hand. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice." He clenched his hand into a fist, and Nemo's world vanished in a wave of blackness.

* * *

Author's Note: Whew, that turned out longer than I expected. I think this is the longest chapter in the story so far, and the darkest in terms of tone. The next chapter will be a little more light-hearted, and will be divided between the explorers on Snowpeak Mountain and the refugees in the Kokiri Forest. After that the story returns to the regular formula of splitting the chapters between all groups. As usual, tell me what you thought!


	20. Making Preparations

Twenty

"WHOA!!! 'NOTHER GOAT GOT LOOSE!!! SOMEBODY STOP IT!!!" Fado the ranch hand's shout rang out across the Kokiri Village, accompanied by dashing hooves and frantic bleating from the escaped animal.

The next sound Ilia heard was the panicked gasps and shouts of the refugees as they jumped out of the way of the charging animal. She and Beth, who had been playing a game with some of the Kokiri children, went outside to see what was happening, just in time to see the goat dash past the house they were in.

Beth giggled. "It's too bad Link's not here. He could always catch the goats without any problem. Remember the time he got two at once?"

Ilia smiled. "One with each hand. I still think he was showing off."

Beth pointed. "Speaking of showing off…"

Ilia turned to see a young man about her and Link's age leap over the horns of the goat to land on its back. He twisted around and grabbed onto the horn with both hands, and suddenly flexed his arms to one side, causing the goat to lose its balance and fall over, bleating. The young man jumped off the goat's back before it fell over and did a back-flip, landing on his feet and grinning widely. He bowed as the surrounding refugees applauded, still smiling.

Fado came jogging over, and Ilia went with him as he passed the house to go talk to the daring young man.

"That's some crazy wranglin' there! Where'd ya learn how to do that?" Fado exuberantly extended his hand and the young man shook it.

The would-be wrangler swept his other hand through his dark red hair and shrugged. "My parents owned a ranch in Faron before the war started, but we had cattle instead of goats. I used to do that with our bull whenever he got too energetic."

Fado shook his head in wonderment as he stepped over to the goat and started to guide it back to the enclosure where they were keeping the other animals. "Well, thanks again. See you around."

"Yeah, no problem," the young man said.

He turned to go, but Ilia stepped over to him. "Wait, what's your name? That was incredible!"

He smiled again, and the grin seemed to reach all the way up to his twinkling blue eyes. "My name's Bryan. What's yours?

Ilia suddenly felt embarrassed for some reason. "I-Ilia."

"Nice to meet you, Ilia. Where are you from?" He started off along the stream that wound through the village, and she followed him.

"Well, I used to live in Ordon, a village not too far from here, but it was destroyed before we came here." Ilia thought back to the battle, and how first those strange men and then Link and the others had suddenly shown up to defend them. She knew not all the villages had been so lucky.

He nodded gravely. "By the bird-people, the Oocca, I think they're called. They've destroyed several villages and ranches in the outer provinces." Bryan kicked a pebble into the stream. "We saw them attack our neighbor's ranch, and that was when my father decided it was time to leave. We joined up with the refugee column and followed them here." He stopped and looked at her suddenly. "Do you know what this place is? And who are all these children in green? Nobody's told us anything, and we've been here for almost two weeks."

Ilia sat down on the bank, and Bryan sat next to her. "The children aren't really children, well, not children like you'd think." She looked out as the village as she searched for the right words. "They're called Kokiri, and they're not human or Hylian. They've lived in this forest for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years, and they never grow up."

Bryan looked around in surprise. "You mean, these are the forest children from the stories about the Hero of Time?"

Ilia gestured across the stream at one of the stump-shaped houses. "That's his house, right over there."

Bryan stared at it for a few moments. "Wow. That's incredible, to be in the same place as the legendary Hero. I used to think those stories were just stories." He looked over at her, a quizzical expression on his face. "That wasn't him who left a couple weeks ago, was it? With all those other people, when everybody ran over and cheered? He wouldn't still be around, would he?"

Ilia laughed. "No, that was a Hero, but it wasn't the Hero of Time. His name is Link, and people call him either the Hero of Light or Hero of Twilight, depending on who you talk to. Haven't you heard of him?"

He shook his head. "We don't get much news out where we live. My father makes trips into Castle Town every once in a while, but he stopped going about a year ago when all the monsters started appearing in the fields. When it stayed dark for three days straight, he decided that we'd better wait out whatever was going on and we haven't heard from anyone else since then until we came here."

Ilia reached down and picked a tuft of grass, idly twisting it while she spoke. She explained to Bryan what the darkness was, and who had been causing it, as much as she knew, which like most of the ordinary people of Hyrule, wasn't much. There had been a royal proclamation announcing what had happened and Link's role in the whole series of events, but it hadn't gone into a lot of detail. Next, she told him what she knew of Link's journey, which wasn't much more than he had told her and the other villagers on one of his visits home.

Bryan let out a low whistle. "He did all that, and he's only our age? That's pretty impressive. I wish I'd met him while he was here. He sounds like a pretty incredible guy."

Ilia let go of a few strands of grass, and the breeze picked them up, carrying them over the water. "You'd probably like him. He helped take care of the goats in our village before he became the Hero, and he used to do things like you did back there."

Bryan chuckled. "With all he's been through, that probably seems easy now." He leaned forward slightly. "Where did he go, anyway?"

Ilia smiled sadly. "I'm not sure. He didn't get a chance to tell me before he left. I think he went off to find a way to defeat the Oocca with a group of warriors he met somewhere. I'm not sure who most of them were." She tossed the rest of the grass in the water. "He's been through so much already, but I knew he would have to go off and fight this new threat." She looked up at Bryan. "That's just the kind of person he is, you know? He spends his whole life thinking of others, and he never does anything for himself. He's always been like that, I guess."

The young man nodded. "You miss him, don't you?"

Ilia sighed. "Yes. I know he's got all these responsibilities as the Hero now, but I wish we could still just sit and talk about nothing for hours, like we used to." She looked up at him again, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, going on like this when I barely know you."

Bryan looked back at her. "No, it's all right. You miss your friend. I can understand that."

"It's just, he travels all over the country and has all these adventures, and I guess I feel like he's left me behind. It seems like I haven't seen him for more than ten minutes at a time in a year."

Bryan seemed about to say something, but suddenly, the foliage barrier behind them parted and the biggest Goron Ilia had ever seen stomped through. She recognized him as Darbus, the rock-people's patriarch, from her time in Kakariko Village. He was alone, but he bore a gigantic sack on his back, which he tossed on the ground with a clank that traveled all the way to where they were sitting.

She grabbed Bryan's arm. "Come on, let's go find out what's going on!" Ilia was somewhat grateful for the interruption, since she was embarrassed she had opened up to a total stranger like that. She hadn't realized she missed Link that much, and she hoped Bryan wouldn't think she was some moonstruck girl pining over the Hero or something. That certainly wasn't true, she thought.

They stopped next to Darbus, and he looked down at her. "Hello, little humans! Where is the Hero? I need to speak with him!"

"I'm sorry, Darbus, but he left a couple of weeks ago. What did you need to see him for?" Ilia had to crane her neck to see the huge Goron's face.

The giant rock-man crossed his arms over his chest. "That is indeed unfortunate. I came to see him because Kakariko has been attacked!"

Ilia gasped. "Attacked! When?"

Darbus kicked the sack, making it clank again. "Four days ago, a company of Bulblins and a group of giant armored warriors attacked, but we were able to drive them away. I was hoping the Hero would be able to come back with me and track the creatures to where they were attacking from, so we can prevent further attacks." He reached into the sack and pulled out a helmet, made for a creature more than twice Ilia's size. "I was also hoping he could tell me who these armored warriors are. I have never seen one before."

"That looks like a Darknut's helmet," said Rusl, coming up next to them. "Kakariko has been attacked by these monsters, you say?"

Darbus handed the helmet to him. "That is correct, little human. There were ten of them, and a few dozen of the little Bulblins. We destroyed all of the Bulblins, though two of the 'Darknuts' escaped. They were still no match for the strength of the Gorons!" He pounded a fist on his massive chest to accentuate his point. The sound was like muted thunder.

Rusl looked up at Darbus. "Were any of the villagers hurt?"

The Goron leader shook his huge head. "No, we arrived before they had a chance to hurt anyone." He looked out at the village. "If the Hero is not here, it seems I have intruded on this sacred place without cause. Perhaps I shall depart." He turned to step back through the foliage barrier, but stopped and turned around again. "Where has the Hero gone?"

Ilia spoke up. "He left with a group of other warriors to go find a way to stop the Oocca that have been attacking."

Darbus looked down at her. "These Oocca, they are the ones controlling the flying castles we have seen over Hyrule?"

Rusl nodded. "That's right."

The Goron patriarch hefted the sack of armor over his shoulder again. "Then they would also be the ones controlling the armies we have seen marching over Hyrule." He leaned down to look at the three of them. "I would suggest you stay in the sacred forest, little humans. Hyrule is the domain of many monstrous creatures now, and you are too few without the Hero to destroy them. I will talk to my tribe, and we will do what we can while the Hero is gone. Farewell!" He stomped off through the foliage barrier, and it closed behind him.

Rusl looked over at Ilia and Bryan. "So, Hyrule is overrun with monsters now." A determined look spread over the swordsman's features. "We cannot just hide in this forest until Link comes back. He may be the savior of the people, but we cannot wait here like sheep. We must take action! Come, let us gather the leaders of the people. It's time to talk about taking back our home."

The former soldier headed off to the central part of the village, and the two young people followed him.

* * *

In the three hours they had spent searching the ruined mansion, Ashei's group found five cannons, ten boxes of cannonballs, and fifteen crates of century-old gunpowder. They also found one black boot, and this was what interested Ashei the most.

"This doesn't look like Link left it here. It looks older, yeah?"

Auru took the boot and looked it over closely. "There aren't any markings I can see on it. I don't know who could have left it here."

They were sitting in front of the fireplace again, warming up while waiting out the storm that was raging outside. Yeto had made more soup, and he sat next to his wife, humming noisily as they ate.

Ashei took the boot back and set it down next to her chair. She had found it half-buried in ice outside, but there were no remains nearby for it to have belonged to. They hadn't found any bodies at all in their explorations, just occasional reminders that they were not the first people to come exploring here. They had found several sets of scratches in several rooms that had been made by a sword, and recently, and Auru had surmised that they had been left by Link as he battled monsters in the ruined manor.

They had found a few other signs of Link's presence, such as opened treasure chests, footprints frozen into the ice in a few places, and several disarmed booby traps. Ashei's respect for the Hero had gone up another notch when she thought about how he had gone through this place by himself.

But, as Auru had said, they were here for the weapons, and they found plenty of those. Besides the cannons and gunpowder, they had found dozens of swords, axes, shields and spears, as well as several intact suits of armor. There was enough here to outfit a considerable army, and that was what they intended to do.

Ashei and one of the other warriors, Eddard, had spent almost an hour testing out the weapons, and only two of the swords and one of the axes had failed to pass inspection; the rest were ready for battle, despite their age.

Once the storm was over, they started hauling all the supplies into the entry room, stacking the boxes next to the wrecked staircases. Midway though, Yeto had suddenly announced that he would haul the cannons down the mountain for them, as well as what other supplies he could carry.

As he had said, "**It take long time for little humans to haul great big cannons all the way up mountain. Yeto happy to help!**"

As their group split into pairs to look for more weapons, Ashei and Auru headed off into a room with a long spiral ramp surrounding several cages. When they passed the second cage, Ashei stopped and kicked one of the bars.

"I wonder what they kept in here?" she said, hopping inside the cage to look closer.

Auru peered inside the cage. "I'm not sure." He looked around, and suddenly paused, reaching down over the edge of the cage to grasp something. "Hmm, what's this?"

Ashei came over to have a look. It was some kind of handle, set into the stone of the cage floor. As she knelt down, she could see the faint outline of a door, and she brushed some of the dust and frost off of it.

Together, they grasped the handle and pulled, feeling the door give a little, but still stuck on something. Ashei pounded the center of the door with her armored fist, hoping to dislodge whatever it was, and on their next try, they succeeded in opening the trapdoor. It was small, about two feet square, and certainly not for transporting whatever animal had been in here.

"Perhaps whatever was in these cages was here to guard this door," Auru said, peering down into the empty space. "With the handle next to the edge of the cage, I'm not surprised Link missed this. He probably didn't see it."

"Well, let's see what's in here, yeah? Hopefully it's something useful." Ashei swung a leg into the hole and probed with her foot for a ladder. Finding one, she started down.

Auru chuckled. "Perhaps."

At the bottom of the long ladder, Ashei took out her lantern and lit it, searching the room with the soft orange light. A second lantern joined hers, and Auru stepped out of the darkness.

The two of them swept the beams of their lanterns around the room, which was revealed to be small and cramped, with a low ceiling and dank stone walls that had slowly melting ice encrusting large areas. There was not much of interest in the tiny room, save what appeared to be a long, low stone table in the center of the chamber. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a marble sarcophagus with inscription in a language neither of them could read. It was also carved with an intricate pattern along the base, swirling jagged lines that looked like bolts of lightning twisting about each other.

Auru played the light of his lantern over the sarcophagus, and he hummed thoughtfully to himself as he examined it. At his sudden "A-ha!" Ashei turned to him.

"What is it?" she said, holding her lantern next to his.

The older man pointed at a section of the lightning pattern. "It curves back on itself for an inch here. It doesn't do that in any other part of the pattern. I think it's a button or release of some kind."

Ashei squinted at the indicated section. "Well, try it. Might be something good, yeah?" She gently punched the side of the sarcophagus, eliciting a clang from her gauntlet.

Auru pressed the section of carving, and they were rewarded with the sound of scraping stone. They stood, and the older man gestured at the lip of the sarcophagus. The lid had moved back a fraction of an inch, and they moved to open it further.

Auru pressed the lid, and it moved away by itself, lifting up and over the side of the sarcophagus as if on a cushion of air, though they could see nothing that could have moved it.

"This was designed to be opened easily." Auru shone his lantern inside. "I don't think this ever held a body. Look."

Ashei shone her own lantern inside, and she had to agree with him. It appeared to be an ordinary stone sarcophagus, but the contents were hardly what one would expect to see inside one. There was no body, first of all, or evidence that one had been inside and later moved. The thing that drew her attention first was a shield with the crest she had been seeing in the manor, a winged shield with crossed swords over it. This meant it was the crest of a noble house, but she couldn't remember seeing the crest anywhere other than this mansion. Under it was an ornate, jeweled sword, accompanied by a much plainer one. Of the two swords, only the plain one looked like it had ever seen combat.

They gently lifted the shield and the two swords out and set them down on the rough stone floor of the chamber. Next, they removed a set of armor, which was highly polished, but again, had obviously seen combat, even sporting scorch marks. Under the armor was a neatly folded green tunic, and when Ashei lifted it out, a dagger inscribed with the royal seal lay under it.

Auru picked up the dagger and gestured at the green tunic with it. "I'd say we've found the tomb of a Hero, only it looks like he was never inside it. It looks more like a weapons cache than a coffin."

Ashei picked up a long wooden box, thin but heavy, that sat on the bottom of the sarcophagus, nestled among the other weapons and items the cache still contained. She set the box across the sarcophagus and opened it. Inside, resting on deep purple velvet, was a staff, about five feet long, topped with a golden metal ball. The handle was some kind of bluish metal, inscribed with jagged lines, another lightning pattern, similar to the one on the sarcophagus. The bottom end of the staff was capped with a silvery metal, again inscribed with lightning patterns.

"I'd say you're right." Ashei grasped the handle of the staff, and jumped when it gave off a discharge, a bluish lightning bolt jabbing out at her hand. "What is this thing?"

Auru's lined face split into a grin, his dark eyes twinkling. "It is certainly unfortunate our friend Link never found this place. I have a feeling this is intended for him."

Ashei looked over at him. "What do you mean?" She reached out again to touch the staff, and again, it discharged, numbing her hand this time. She scowled briefly at the staff before turning her attention to her companion.

Auru waved his hand at the rest of the equipment, both outside the sarcophagus and still inside it. "This belonged to a Hero, I'm certain of it. And I think I know which one, too." He closed the lid of the box the staff rested in, and turned to Ashei. "The staff cemented my suspicions of what this place was. The Hero this equipment belonged to was known as the Hero of Lightning, but it was his son who built this mansion."

Ashei was puzzled. "I've never heard of any Hero of Lightning."

The older man sat on the lip of the sarcophagus. "I hadn't, either, until our friend Shad's father, Henry, told me about him, about twenty years ago. Two gentlemen requested that he look him up, back when Henry was the keeper of the castle archives. The Hero's story is too long to go into right now, but what interested me was the Staff of Lightning, an object of power the Hero used in his quest. It allowed him to control electricity, and also shoot bolts of lightning from the tip." He gestured at the box. "There is little uncertainty that this is that staff. After the Hero of Lightning defeated his enemy, he journeyed for several years before returning to Hyrule and settling down with a family. His eldest son, Endrew, founded a mining company, which was located in these mountains." Auru looked up at Ashei. "This is Endrew Fenris' mansion, built to guard the entrance to his mines. I hadn't made the connection until I saw his father's staff."

Ashei gestured at the various weapons and armor. "So where's the Hero? There isn't a room for a body in this thing with all this junk in here, yeah?"

Auru shrugged minutely. "I'm not sure. It was a long time ago, and I don't recall everything Henry told me. Shad would probably know, since Henry likely told him about it. What I do know is that Link would likely find this cache useful. Besides the swords and the Staff of Lightning, there is also a Goron fire tunic in here, and a war hammer, not to mention several bottles of Great Fairy Tears, and a mirror shield." Auru reached into the sarcophagus and pulled out a greatsword that was almost as long as he was tall. "A Biggoron Sword! Only three non-Gorons have ever been given one of these! What an incredible find!"

The older man stood. "We must find a way to get these items to Link. Our enemies are extremely powerful, and the current Hero will need all the help he can get to defeat them."

* * *

Rusl opened the discourse. "We cannot hide in this forest forever! We must take action to start taking back our home!"

He, Mayor Bo, and the rest of the leaders of the refugees were gathered in the Great Deku Tree's meadow, and while the guardian spirit had been silent so far, it was obvious he was listening and would interject when he thought it necessary.

The grizzled warrior Ivan, commander of the group of warriors that had traveled with Arnak before the siege of Castle Town, stepped forward, his blue cloak thrown back over his shoulders. It was toward the middle of autumn outside the forest, but inside it remained a constant pleasant temperature.

"I have been in contact with Cassius' group, who are still in Hyrule, and they say monsters of all sizes and shapes roam unchecked through the land. The Bulblins are the most numerous, but they are weak and easily defeated. More rare are the gigantic armored warriors you call Darknuts, but they are still numerous enough that the men must avoid occasional patrols. The monsters have left Kakariko alone since their attempted invasion was repulsed, and so far, they have avoided Zora's Domain, also." Ivan gestured at another similarly dressed warrior, who Rusl knew as Jorrek. "Jorrek says that on his way here, they encountered and defeated a patrol of Lizalfos who were prowling around Faron Woods. I venture that our enemy knows we are here somewhere, but not the exact location, otherwise they would have attempted an attack."

"**_My protection sufficeth that thine enemy cannot find you. Even if they were to encounter the barrier wall, no weapon they possess can pierce it. Ye are safe within my forest for as long as ye remain here._**"

As usual, the Great Deku Tree's speech sounded inside the heads of those present, rather than an actual, audible sound. Rusl still found this somewhat unsettling, but he was growing used to it.

Ivan nodded. "This is good news, but I agree with Rusl. We cannot stay here and simply wait for the Hero's Company to defeat the Oocca. We must take action! Have any of you heard from the Hyrule Army?"

The highest ranking member of the army present was a lieutenant who had journeyed here with Princess Zelda's group of refugees, and he had had no contact with his fellows since then. At last count, Hyrule's army numbered only six thousand, their numbers having been severely depleted by Zant's invasion, and this already low number had likely been further lessened by the Oocca surprise attack almost a month ago. It was agreed by all present that the army could likely not be counted on, and if a mission to cleanse Hyrule was mounted, replacements would have to be found.

Before the meeting, the various leaders had talked to their people, and while most of the refugees were perfectly content to wait out the crisis in the sacred forest, many of them were willing to join a mission to take back their homes. Others were ready to rally behind the Hero, but without that symbol, were unwilling to risk their lives.

Rusl spoke up again. "How many can we expect if we organize a mission?"

Ivan adjusted his gauntlet as he spoke. "All together, my force of warriors numbers thirty, including Cassius' group, and twenty Hyrule soldiers made it to this village. The only variable is how many volunteers from among the civilians we can expect."

Rusl frowned. "That's not enough to take back Castle Town. When I was there, I estimated at least four or five hundred enemies were in the city at any given time during the siege, and triple that number could have settled there by now. We need thousands of men to have any real chance of succeeding. Where are we going to get a force that large?"

The lieutenant, whose name Rusl did not know, spoke up again. "If even half the army survived the siege and are holed up somewhere, we have a fighting chance of taking back the capital. But," his features turned apologetic, "I have to admit that the army has been somewhat… lacking in discipline for a long time. I don't know how well we'd do against a large, organized force."

Rusl rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If there was a large-scale field battle, we could likely expect Bulblins to make up most of both cavalry and infantry. They're hardly the most organized creatures, but they make up for it with sheer numbers. Ten thousand idiots can still overrun a hundred master warriors, and we don't have even that many masters among us."

A man named Stefan, who had been the protector of a tiny village near Lake Hylia, stepped forward. "What if we don't attempt a frontal assault? What if, instead, we use guerrilla tactics to disrupt their supply lines and ambush their patrols?"

Ivan nodded. "With our inferior numbers, that may be the best course of action. It will at least be better than sitting around in this forest, waiting for someone else to solve our problems."

Jorrek spoke up for the first time in the discussion. "Our group is adept at stealth. I say we take our band of warriors and thoroughly explore Hyrule to search for where the enemy is encamped, where they are strong, and where they are weak. Once we know enough about their fortifications to begin planning raids and strikes, we can return and fetch the rest of you. Until that time, you can train the volunteers and continue making preparations."

Rusl nodded. "We can operate similarly to the way we did when Zant had taken control of Hyrule. A small force of warriors can sometimes be more effective than a large one."

Ivan stood and gestured out of the meadow. "We should start as soon as possible, then. The more we can disrupt the enemy, the better."

* * *

Ashei stepped to the side as Yeto came barreling past her, carrying two of the cannons at once. Their group was on their second trip down the mountain hauling weapons and supplies, but by her estimate, Yeto was on his fifth or sixth trip, carrying a cannon or two each time, plus at least one huge sack full of supplies. The fact that he managed to move so quickly carrying so much weight earned new respect from Ashei for his strength.

The air was remarkably clear, even for this high in the mountains. There were no clouds at all, and for once, the wind was not blowing. The entire mountain seemed to be holding its breath, almost.

They were halfway down the last slope, the frozen river in sight, when Ashei noticed that it was getting dark. Surprised, since it was only about three hours after noon, she looked up at the sun.

She stopped so suddenly that Kraytos ran into her, causing both of them to stumble in the snow. He grabbed her shoulder, asking her what was wrong, and she simply pointed wordlessly into the sky as an explanation.

One of the massive, mile-wide Oocca flying fortresses had flown in front of the sun in a terrifying mockery of an eclipse. It was unspeakably huge, shaped like a bird's nest made of towers and spires. It was deeply unsettling, since its very presence in the sky seemed to defy all natural conventions. It just didn't look like something that belonged in the air, and for several long moments, the group found itself transfixed by the gigantic flying castle.

Ashei was the first to recover her senses, noticing several moving specks around the airborne fortress, likely scouts or lookouts. Throwing off her pack, she shoved Kraytos down into the snow. "Hide! If they see us, they'll attack!"

The group sprang into action, tunneling under the packed snow. Ashei, since her cloak and mask were white, poked her head and shoulders out of the snow drift she had burrowed under, to observe the fortress and see what it did. She looked around, to see if any of them were visible, and allowed herself a relieved sigh when she saw that none of them were. The snow was obviously disturbed, but she didn't think that would be a problem, since the fortress was far enough away that it probably wouldn't matter. A few tense moments passed, but no Oocca flew over to investigate.

She returned her attention to the flying fortress, and after doing some quick calculations in her head, figured out that it was headed for Zora's Domain. As she watched, it dropped rapidly, seeming to grow larger as it got closer to her. Oddly, it made no sound other than rushing air, disturbed by its passage, as it swooped over her head and settled over the Zora village, hidden from view by the cliff that separated Zora's Domain from the Snowpeak Mountains.

Ashei heard explosions start up, followed by flashes of orange light from the detonating bombs. If she strained her eyes, she could see flying specks emerging from the hideous flying castle, swooping down out of sight.

The warrior stood up, shaking off the snow, and slogged through the drifts to where Auru was hiding. He was standing also, and she put her hand on his shoulder, pointing out at the floating fortress.

"They're attacking the Zoras! We have to help them!"

"You are right," the older man said, "but what can we do against them? Swords are no use against a flying enemy!"

The warrior called Eddard gestured down at the frozen river, where they could dimly see Yeto bounding across the ice floes. "The cannons! If we can get them set up, we can drive them off with the cannons!"

The other warriors in their group, now emerging from their places of concealment, picked up their packs and shook the snow off of themselves. Kraytos pulled off his hood and swept some of the snow out of his blond hair with a gloved hand, pointing at the fortress with the other.

"We can use bomb arrows, too," he said, opening his green cloak to show his quiver, strapped to his thigh. "I know several of those crates have bombs in them."

Auru secured his pack, picking up the box that contained the Staff of Lightning from where it had fallen. "Let us hurry, then. We haven't much time."

The six of them charged down the slope of the mountain, and were met at the shore of the frozen river by Yeto, who jumped over to them with two great leaps from where he had been standing.

"**Go quick, humans! Yeto help you take cannons. You need them to fight flying men, I think.**"

Auru looked up at the beast-man. "That would be most appreciated. Follow us, then."

The seven of them quickly made their way across the frozen river, jumping from ice floe to ice floe until they were safely on the other side. They sprinted across the ice, more than one of them almost slipping as they ran to the stacked boxes of swords, axes, bombs, and cannonballs.

Yeto immediately shouldered two of the cannons and, to Ashei's astonishment, leaped up to the tunnel to Zora's Domain in one great jump, setting the cannons down before leaping back down to grab two more.

The warriors set themselves up in a chain up the path, and handed off boxes of cannonballs and bombs up to the flat area around the tunnel entrance, working as quickly as they could. Kraytos, since he was the fastest runner, sprinted off down the tunnel to scout, also hoping to recruit some Zoras to help them haul boxes.

The Yeti, once he had brought all of the cannons up to the tunnel entrance, started hauling them through the tunnel, moving as if they weighed nothing at all.

Hauling sacks full of bombs and cannonballs, the group followed the beast-man, moving as quickly as they could under the heavy load. Ashei was at the front of the group, and when she emerged from the tunnel, she nearly dropped her burden in surprise.

Spread out before her was a scene of rampant chaos, filled with battle cries, screams, explosions, and the clash of weapons. This was such a reverse from the normal tranquility of the Zora Village that all of the warriors in her group paused for a moment, shocked at what was happening here.

The Zoras were a peaceful people, content to remain in their territory and maintain Hyrule's waterways, never showing any sign of aggression. But, as Ashei watched, the fish-people battled with graceful skill, twirling and slashing with their spears, decimating any Oocca that came near them.

But, it wasn't enough.

The flying creatures were swooping and darting over the village, dropping bombs on the defenders and rock formations that made up what buildings there were. Ashei could see several fallen Zora, not likely to ever rise again, but far less in number were defeated Oocca, live specimens of which were still pouring out of the looming fortress that cast a shadow over the waterfall-carved village.

Their hesitation having lasted but a moment, the group again sprang into action, sprinting for where Yeto had left the cannons. Surprisingly, the Yeti had left them in positions where they could be easily aimed upward, and also in defensible places.

The beast-man himself was hurling debris at flying Oocca, more than once knocking one of the human-sized bird-creatures from the air. Several dove down to attack the Yeti, but he grabbed two of them out of the air and smashed them together, throwing the bodies at the other bird-creatures.

Ashei and the warrior known as Eddard manned one cannon, he loading it, she aiming it.

"Aim for the doors!" Eddard shouted over the racket of the battle. "If we can wreck them closed, it might slow them down!"

"Good idea!" she shouted back, pulling on the ancient cannon. She hoped belatedly that it would hold and not blow up in their faces due to its age.

Once the cannon was ready, Eddard set it off, and they watched as the blast hit next to one of the apertures on the bottom of the mile-wide fortress. Another blast hit the other side of the door, and yet another smashed into a third side, crumpling the metal and leaving the door unusable.

Ashei looked over at where Auru and the warrior called Elegost manned a cannon, and past them, Kraytos and Berethor struggled with another, all three cannons still smoking from the barrage they had just released.

There was no time to celebrate their minor victory, however, because a massive hatch on the underside of the fortress, at least twenty feet in diameter, irised open, and a huge crystalline structure lowered partly out, glowing and alternating between blue and green in color. The sight was strange enough that almost all of the defenders paused for a moment, and that was enough for the device to do its work.

There was a bright flash of light, and the world around them ceased to exist.

* * *

Author's Note: For more information on the Fenris family and the Hero of Lightning, see my other story, 'Hero's Origin', formerly 'The Origin of Link'. Next, the story returns to its usual formula of splitting the chapters between the different groups, which may mean the chapters will be even longer in the future. I try to keep them at around 6500 words, but they can go longer if I have a lot of story to tell. As always, let me know what you thought, and if you saw anything that needs improving, please let me know.


	21. Warriors and Spies

Twenty-One

Erik leaned against the rail of the merchant ship _Viridian Breeze_, watching the ocean go by as the vessel sped on towards Calatia. Several dolphins were frolicking in the ship's wake, and he watched them for a few minutes.

The Sheikah warrior had always loved the sea, though he rarely got to travel by ship anymore. Ever since his skills had developed enough for long-distance teleportation, he hadn't been aboard a ship, except for one mission that involved recovering an item from its cargo without the crew knowing.

He breathed in the salty air and allowed a contented smile to settle over his features. For once, he had no immediate responsibilities, and he could just be alone with his thoughts.

_Or not,_ he thought, hearing heavy footsteps behind him. A deep voice cleared its throat, and Erik turned to see Arnak standing behind him, one massive hand resting on the pommel of the sword that hung at his side.

"Is there something you need, Arnak?" Erik crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the rail again. He could count on one hand the number of times Arnak had spoken to him directly since he had met the man, and he wondered what he wanted.

"Why are you here?" the big man said, almost glaring at the Sheikah.

Erik shrugged. "I wanted to get up out of the hold for a few minutes. It gets stuffy down there, and I saw it was a nice day."

Arnak took a step closer, his hand still on his sword, not quite threateningly. "No. Why are you traveling with us?"

Erik frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

The Bearer of Power gestured behind him at where Link was running Colin through sword drills, Midna and Princess Zelda looking on. "The other members of our group all have clear reasons to be with us or have abilities useful to our mission, but you have never specified why you joined the Company." He leaned in closer, not bothering to disguise the suspicion the Sheikah warrior knew the big man held him in. "_Why_ are you here?"

Erik narrowed his red-irised eyes. "I have never given you the slightest reason to be suspicious of me. Why are you asking me this?"

"Answer my question." The big man's face was deadly serious.

"I travel with you because I have been ordered to do so," the Sheikah warrior answered defensively. "My superiors have told me to travel with the Hero and assist him in whatever way I can."

Arnak narrowed his own eyes. "What superiors? I thought you Sheikah answered to Princess Zelda."

"We are under obligation to follow whatever orders a member of the Hylian Royal Family gives one of us, but we ultimately rule ourselves." Erik looked angrily up at the larger man. "Now why are you asking me this?"

Arnak's answer was short and blunt. "I do not trust you."

Erik began to feel his anger rising at being treated this way. "I haven't given you any-"

"You are a magic-user," Arnak interrupted, "and that first and foremost proves to me that you cannot be trusted. Second, someone has disturbed our baggage, though nothing was taken. This tells me that either one of the Company is a traitor, or we have a spy aboard this vessel."

Erik raised his eyebrows in surprise, his annoyance temporarily forgotten. "I haven't heard anything about this." He gestured at Link, now explaining to Colin the importance of the angle at which a blade should be held to deflect strikes. "Have you told him?"

The big man shook his head. "I only discovered this a few minutes ago. My bag and those of Raskys and Majacen had been opened, and when I looked inside my bag, my possessions were not how I left them." He glared down at Erik again. "You will swear to me that you did not have anything to do with this?"

The warrior frowned, offended at the implication. "Of course. How do you know it wasn't one of the crew?"

"I have made sure no one but the Company have entered our section of the hold. As I have said, either it was one of us, or we have a spy aboard the vessel."

"We should tell the others, then," Erik said. "They deserve to know."

"What is it we deserve to know?"

Erik turned to see Princess Zelda standing a few feet away. He hadn't heard her approach, and he must have been upset for him to miss something like that.

Arnak turned to the disguised princess. "Our possessions have been disturbed. I suspect there is a spy aboard."

Zelda nodded, her expression thoughtful. Even in ordinary traveling clothes, with her hair loose and no jewelry or makeup adorning her features, the Princess of Hyrule was still a regally beautiful woman. Erik found himself thinking that she looked better like this than in fancy robes of state, before he caught himself, surprised at his line of thought.

"We will tell the others, but none of the crew. If there is indeed a spy among us, it would be wise to avoid letting them know we are onto them." Zelda glanced back at where Link, Midna, and Colin sat on the deck, the Twilight Princess now relating another part of the Hero's previous journey to the boy.

Arnak grunted. "I would say the spy cares little for discretion, if it left such an obvious sign of its presence."

Zelda nodded again, looking up at her fellow Triforce Bearer. "Perhaps the spy left other signs of its presence. We should go and investigate further."

The three of them went down to the hold, where the Company slept and stored their gear. Arnak had scrounged a lock from somewhere, and had installed it on the door of their room, high up enough that only he could reach it without standing on something. Erik had noticed this a few days ago, and knew he could reach it without any problem, but refrained from saying so. Arnak was already suspicious of him, for reasons the Sheikah warrior was still attempting to determine.

Had Arnak overheard one of his reports to his commanders and misunderstood what he was doing? The Sheikah were on the Company's side in this matter, even if they preferred for him to not tell the others too much about the organization he belonged to. "People are more likely to talk if they think nobody's there," one of his instructors had told him once, and it was certainly true. Their vast information network depended on only a select few knowing of its existence. If the rest of the Company thought him merely a bodyguard for the princess, so much the better.

Zelda stepped into the room and began making a close examination of the disturbed baggage. After a few moments, her hand passed over Arnak's bag and there was a brief flash of golden light as her Triforce manifested itself.

She frowned minutely and bent to look closer, holding her hand over the bag for several seconds. The princess stood. "There is indeed a spy aboard this vessel, but it is none of the crew and," she glanced at Arnak briefly, meeting his eyes with just a hint of reproach in her own, "none of the Company. I sense Shadow magic, and I suspect we are dealing with an unnatural creature."

Arnak looked down at his bag. "What sort of creature?"

Hyrule's Princess sighed quietly. "Some sorcerers skilled in the dark arts make for themselves creatures that can hide in shadows, as spies and assassins. If this is truly what hides aboard this vessel, I suggest that the magic-users in our group should work out shifts so that one of us is always awake."

Arnak frowned, but nodded.

Erik turned to him, a sudden thought crossing his mind. "Why do you not use your Triforce of Power to find the spy? From what I know if it, your piece gives it bearer great powers, and is perhaps the most potent of the Three."

The big man glowered at him. "I have not been able to make my Triforce activate. So far, I have only observed passive effects, such as enhanced strength and greater stamina."

Zelda looked up at Arnak. "Have you tried to do anything beyond that?"

He shook his head. "I have not attempted to cast any spells, if that is what you mean."

She smiled slightly. "The Triforce is a different sort of magic. It does not require spells to activate, but merely force of will. Sit with me, and I will attempt to help you activate your Triforce."

Arnak looked reluctant, but he sat, and Zelda sat across from him, her legs folded underneath her.

Erik knew he was not needed here, and so he went back up on deck, deciding to enlist the help of the Hero in searching for the shadow spy. If it came to combat, he was the member of the Company Erik wanted battling the thing, since he had the experience fighting unnatural creatures.

As he approached the place where the Hero sat, he caught part of the story the Twilight Princess was telling Colin.

"At first, it seemed to be stuck in the ground, and all it could do was try to grab Link with its tentacles, but after Link grabbed its eye with his clawshot and stabbed it a few times, it swam out! It was the biggest monster either of us had ever seen, and it had a mouth big enough to eat this whole ship in two bites! It was as big as a building, covered in armor plates and spines." Midna spread her arms wide, as if trying to show how big the creature was.

Colin gasped, and looked over at Link, who nodded gravely, but with a twinkle in his eye.

Midna continued. "It kept swimming around in circles, knocking over the pillars in the chamber, and Link had to swim after it, since its only weak spot was the eye that was on its back. Once, it turned faster than Link or I expected, and it sucked him right into its mouth!"

Colin gasped again, and Link chuckled.

"It spit me right back out, though," the Hero said.

Midna smirked. "It must not have liked the taste. He hadn't taken a bath in a while." She winked at Colin, who laughed. "Anyway, Link latched onto the eye with his clawshot again, and he stabbed it with his sword as many times as he could before it threw him off. Finally, after almost getting eaten a couple more times, Link managed to kill the creature, and it thrashed around as it was dying, finally slamming into the wall of the chamber and cracking it, making all the water drain out. The creature vanished in a huge cloud of black smoke, and it left behind the third Fused Shadow."

"The last one!" Colin said. "What happened next?"

Erik gestured for the two adults to come with him, and Midna reached down to ruffle Colin's hair.

"I'll tell you next time, kiddo. Go practice your sword drills while me and Link go talk to Erik."

"Okay." Colin went over to pick up his practice sword and shield.

Link and Midna followed Erik over to a spot by the rail.

"What is it?" Midna asked.

The Sheikah warrior looked at both of them in turn, and keeping his voice low, told them about the spy.

Link narrowed his eyes. "I've never heard of any kind of creature like that. Do we know who sent it?"

Midna frowned. "Probably whoever is directing the Oocca. That presence Majacen mentioned a few days ago is getting stronger, and I think that's who we've been sensing. It still feels like Ganondorf's magic, but it's still… off. I don't know how to explain it."

The Hero also frowned. "Well, I'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I don't know how to fight something that can hide in shadows, but I'm betting this will hurt it, anyway." He gestured at the hilt of the Master Sword over his shoulder with his thumb.

Midna rested her hand on the pommel of the Twilight Blade. "I'll watch for it, too. We should probably tell Majacen about this. He might know more about it, whatever it is."

Erik crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll take first watch tonight. Mara thinks it might try to attack us while we're sleeping." The warrior didn't know if the spy was still about, so he used the name Zelda had adopted with her disguise.

A spark of insight flashed in the Twilight Princess' eyes. "Hey, if we can capture it, we might be able to get it to tell us about its master. We still don't know who he is."

Link's features settled into a determined expression. "And the sooner we know that, the sooner we can take him out."

* * *

The spy hurtled through the void, bound for its master. He would not be pleased that it had been discovered, but it had news that would hopefully make up for its mistake.

When it re-entered the world of light, he was waiting, sitting cross-legged on the stone floor of the small chamber with his hands resting on his knees. An expression of intense concentration was on Raneses' face, but as soon as the spy regained its form, he opened his glowing yellow eyes and glared at it.

"You have news?" he said, his tone making it clear that he was irritated with the interruption. The spy would have to choose its words carefully.

"I have found the Third." The spy would have smiled triumphantly, had it still possessed a mouth.

Raneses continued to glare at the spy. "And you have also been discovered. Do not think you can hide anything from me, creature." He gestured idly with one of his hands, and a lance of icy pain stabbed through the spy, making it lose cohesion for a moment. When it had solidified again, he gestured for it to finish its report.

"The Bearer of Wisdom is also traveling with the Hero's Company, with the other two. It is the female Sheikah they call Mara. It was she who divined my presence."

Raneses raised an eyebrow. "So, Princess Zelda has left her kingdom, and is traveling in disguise. This means all three Chosen Ones of the gods are traveling together." He was silent for several long moments. "I will continue to watch this 'Hero's Company', to see what their plans are."

The spy bowed, a habit left over from its former existence. "I will return immediately, master."

Raneses looked up at the spy, as if remembering it was still there. "You will not be the one watching them. You let them discover you, and now I must send a servant capable of remaining hidden even under their scrutiny."

The spy would have paled, had it still possessed the ability. "I am sorry, master, but I-"

Raneses cut him off. "I am not interested in your excuses. Your service to me is finished." He gestured again, and the spy vanished into the smoke of which it appeared to be formed.

* * *

Viserys looked up from his paperwork at the knock on his stateroom door. "Enter," he said.

General Drake stepped into the room, saluting, and Viserys stood from his desk to acknowledge the salute. "I have news, sir." The general held out a sheet of paper, frowning slightly. "I received this a few minutes ago, and I thought you would want to look it over personally."

The Mercenary King took the paper, looking it over and scowling once he finished. "Has this been confirmed?"

Drake nodded. "By three different scouting parties, sir. We're still investigating, but we don't have any leads as of yet."

Viserys nodded. "You are dismissed."

General Drake saluted his commander again and left the room. Once he was gone, Viserys permitted himself an angry sigh and a virulent curse, slamming the paper down on his desk.

Needle Peak was gone. Nothing had been destroyed, but every single living person in the city had vanished without a trace, including three thousand Balacruf soldiers. The report had stated that nothing else was missing, and it seemed to have happened without any warning at all. Fires were still lit, plates were still set on tables, and the city gates were still closed. All weapons were still in their racks, and beds looked like their occupants had left them without moving the blankets.

The last thing Viserys needed was another surprise from his enemy. They already had enough strange technology he was still struggling to understand without this new weapon, whatever it was.

He rose, and crossed to the window, looking out at the clouds as _Argent Hawk_ sped on, bound for a base on the eastern coast of Calatia, at which Viserys and his generals would organize a mission to search for Oocca bases. They had been unable to find anything resembling a supply depot or shipyard thus far in the war, and Viserys was determined to find a way to cripple the Oocca offensive in any way he could. Directly taking on any and all flying fortresses they encountered would be foolhardy, as even with knowledge of their weak point, the fortresses still vastly outgunned his ships. The most advantageous action would be the one that accomplished the most damage while spending as few lives as possible.

_Though_, he reflected darkly, _such an action may not exist_.

There was another knock at his door, and Viserys sighed again, wondering if it was another report with confounding news. "Enter!"

Philos, his chief scientist, poked his head in. "Erm, is this a bad time, Admiral?"

"What do you need, Philos?" Viserys kept the irritation out of his voice. This could be important, since Philos rarely approached him without a good reason.

The short scientist stepped into the room, bearing a box under his arm. "I've just finished work on a prototype I thought that the army might find useful in the future, and I thought you would like to review it."

Viserys gestured at a table, and the scientist bustled over to it, setting the box down. It was about two and a half feet long, and once the scientist opened it, Viserys stepped over to see what it was.

Philos removed the object from the box and held it up for Viserys to see. It was a narrow metal tube about two feet long, attached to a wooden handle that looked like it had been scavenged from a crossbow. There was a complicated-looking mechanism where the tube met the handle, and there was a trigger on the underside of the object.

The Mercenary King crossed his arms over his chest. "All right, Philos, what is it? It looks like a miniature cannon."

The scientist beamed. "You are right, sir. I've been working on this in my spare time for the last six months, and I recently managed to get it working the way I intended. I got the idea while I was talking to one of our archers, who told me that it was difficult to aim while the wind was blowing, and I remembered that cannonballs move fast enough that you don't have to compensate for wind as much. So, I thought to myself, why not make a cannon small enough to be carried easily?"

Viserys took the miniature cannon from Philos and looked it over. "How does it work?"

"Ah, I'm glad you asked, sir. See, this metal tube is the barrel, and you put a tiny metal ball inside," he produced one from his pocket and held it up for examination, "and a small amount of gunpowder, the same as a cannon. You then pull this trigger on the bottom here, and this creates a spark that ignites the gunpowder and propels the ball out at your target."

"How long does it take to reload?" Viserys pressed the stock against his shoulder and sighted along the barrel. He doubted the thing's accuracy, but if it worked, it would be another advantage for him. If he equipped the ground troops with them, it would be an easier way to kill foes from a distance. And, the troops on the airships would surely appreciate a new weapon to repel boarders with.

"Well, it usually takes me about a minute and a half to get everything secured properly." Philos grimaced. "If everything isn't properly set up, it has the slight tendency to…" He trailed off.

Viserys looked over at him, one eyebrow arching in suspicion. "To what?"

Philos chewed his lip nervously. "Ah, to explode, sir. I lost two of my prototypes that way." He chuckled shortly. "And my eyebrows, once."

Viserys handed the miniature cannon back to Philos. "This could be useful in the future. Put three members of your team to work on this full-time. I want it ready to mass-produce within two months." He narrowed his eyes slightly, to show he was serious. "And Philos, I want all possibility of this exploding in my soldiers' faces removed. Swords and bows are working for us at this time, and I will not risk lives on an unproven experimental weapon."

"Yes, sir! I'll get my team working on it as soon as I get back to Nimbus City." Philos packed up his miniature cannon, but remained standing by it.

"Was there something else?" Viserys returned to his desk and sat down.

"Ah, yes, there was, actually. My assistant called me a few hours ago to tell me that the two Oocca survivors we pulled off the wrecked fortress are recovering, and will soon be ready for interrogation." Philos picked up the box and tucked it under his arm again.

"Excellent. I will conduct the interrogation personally once this mission is over. Is that all?"

Philos nodded. "Yes, sir."

"You are dismissed, then." Viserys looked back down at his paperwork, noting the door shutting as Philos left.

Viserys looked down at the pile of documents that needed his review and signature, dreading having to return to this essential but mind-numbing portion of his duties. Deciding to put it off for a few minutes, he crossed to where his bag sat at the foot of the bed in his stateroom, and opened it, searching for a small, cloth-wrapped bundle. Finding the object, he clenched his hand around it and crossed to the small washroom, to ensure privacy.

He removed the cloth, revealing a Communication Stone of an odd reddish-purple color, and tapped it in a specific pattern. He waited for several moments, and it buzzed in his hand, in the same pattern.

"It's been a while, Viserys. I thought you'd forgotten about me," the voice emanating from the stone said. The Mercenary King could just barely make out a face in the stone, silver-haired, with red irises, pointed ears, and otherwise unremarkable features.

"Have you been able to find out anything more since the last time we spoke?" The level of secrecy was demanded by his contact, who assured him that while his organization could be trusted, they preferred to keep their existence a secret as much as possible.

His contact nodded. "Our agents have been searching for some sign of an Oocca base, but so far, we have not found anything. But, the Oocca recently sent another fortress to Hyrule, and I have sent scouts to discern its purpose. They have sent two into Calatia, and one stopped for several hours over the Blue Forest."

"They are reinforcing their garrison there, then." Viserys frowned. This was not good news. If the enemy was massing an army in the Blue Forest, it almost certainly meant they were going to attack Belakar City soon. The capital of the most powerful nation on this continent could not be allowed to fall.

"We also spotted three fortresses over Holodrum, and I believe it is ready to fall. They have been battering that country relentlessly since they began their invasion, and its neighbor Labrynna, also." Viserys' informant smiled ironically. "It is… unfortunate that they refused your services."

"It is not my fault if they are governed by stiff-necked fools. I am not going to protect them for free," Viserys said bluntly. "Have you been able to locate the mage that destroyed a fortress over Hyrule?"

His contact nodded. "Actually, we have. One of our agents happened to be present at that battle. He reported that a Twili, of all people, was responsible for the magic blasts that ultimately crippled the fortress. I would have told you this weeks ago, if you'd contacted me."

Their arrangement was the Viserys contacted the informant, never the other way around, since the Admiral never knew when others would be around. Another level of secrecy insisted upon by the man. His information was always accurate, so Viserys put up with his demands, which were thankfully little more than not revealing the informant's existence.

Viserys frowned in puzzlement. "What is a Twili? I haven't heard of that race before."

"They were a group of sorcerers who attempted to seize Hyrule almost a thousand years ago. They were defeated, and banished to a parallel dimension known as the Twilight Realm. Their descendants grew so accustomed to the conditions there over time that they can't return to this world without being harmed. But, this one can, since she's the ruler of the Twilight Realm and has special powers that the rest don't have."

"What's she doing in this world, then?"

His informant's image shrugged. "We don't know, really." He grinned. "Funny thing, though. Her group is on its way to meet you."

Viserys looked sharply at his contact. "Why?"

"They're fighting the Oocca, too, and a wizard traveling with them told them you were their best bet for a way to defeat them." The informant leaned in closer to the stone on his end. "I'd suggest you meet up with these people as soon as possible. For one thing, they have several powerful magic-users with them, not to mention all three Triforce Bearers. All three bearers of the Golden Power haven't been on the same side... well... _ever_, and there's no telling what they can accomplish if they work together."

Viserys had heard of the Triforce, and had heard endless rumors about the power its pieces gave to their bearers, not to mention what it could do when it was intact. If even half of them were true, this was definitely something he wanted on his side. "Where are they?"

The contact held up a finger. "In a second. It gets better. Besides the Triforce Bearers, the Twilight Princess, and the wizard, they have one of the few individuals we know of that knows how to read and speak the Oocca language besides the Oocca themselves. And," the informant's grin got wider, "they have the Hero with them, too. He's one of the Triforce Bearers, and this guy is someone you want on your team, trust me."

Viserys had also heard the stories of the Hylian Heroes, and how their gods gifted them with incredible strength, speed, and skill with weapons. From the rumors, they were practically one-person armies, able to take on the mightiest of monsters without fear. These abilities were supposed to come from the piece of the Triforce the Hero usually bore, Courage. If the other two were with him, especially Power, the war would soon be over with them fighting for Viserys.

The informant leaned even closer to his stone, so that Viserys could see his serious expression. "But, don't send a warship to pick them up. Their group is somewhat suspicious, and if a gigantic flying ship swoops down out of the sky and asks for them by name, they're going to wonder how you knew about them. Even though one of our agents travels with them, we'd prefer it if they didn't know too much about us. Our effectiveness depends on our secrecy."

Viserys nodded. "So you've told me. Where are they now?"

"They're on a ship, a few days away from Calatia. Our agent has talked to the captain, and he intends to make port at Redeen. Don't make it obvious that you're looking for them, either. Just… make yourself easy to find."

The Mercenary King nodded. "Very well, then. I'll contact you later. In the meantime, focus on finding the Oocca base. If these people you've told me of intend to work with me, their power would be best used in focusing on crippling the enemy operations."

"I'll tell our agent to look for your men in Redeen. He's smart enough to make it look incidental."

Viserys nodded again and closed the connection, wrapping the stone back up and putting it back in his bag. As he sat at his desk again, he allowed himself a small smile. The gods had dropped another advantage in his lap. Now, if his enemy didn't find a way around this one, also, the war was all but won.

* * *

Nabooru resisted the urge to strike the woman sitting next to her in the council room. How could anyone be so foolish?

"You would be willing to let another Ganondorf lead us to even greater ruin?" she said incredulously.

"What choice do we have?" the other woman replied. "Raneses is legally our king. What will we become if we abandon our laws whenever it is convenient? We would become nothing more than barbarians!"

"Raneses is just as power-hungry as his ancestor! He will repeat the actions of that man, and it will ruin us just as thoroughly as his did!" Nabooru stabbed her finger at the portrait of Ganondorf that hung on the wall, his hand clenched around the Hylian Triforce and a maniacal grin on his face. "I know from speaking with the Hylian Hero that the monster we captured had in his possession an artifact forged by the Accursed One that would let him control the Triforce. Raneses freed the monster while he was here. This can only mean that he is in pursuit of the Hylian magic, also. It has not been so long as to make us forget what happened the last time a king of ours attempted to do such a thing."

Another woman spoke up. "Our traditions are what separate us from the savages. If we simply ignore whichever laws do not suit our current goals, we might as well abandon them all!"

"Sisters." The Matriarch stood from her chair. "We must break this deadlock. Raneses' week is almost up, and we are still no closer to a decision." She gestured out at the ring of Gerudo women, some city administrators, some merchants, but most warriors. There were six raiding party commanders, including Nabooru, all of them sharp minds with sharper swords.

"Our decision is obvious!" one of the city administrators said. "We are barely surviving as it is, and if he can give us Hyrule, his methods don't matter."

"Even if it means we all die when the Hylians slaughter us?" Nabooru held up a hand at the others' shocked gasps. "Let us be realistic, sisters." She began to walk around the room, making eye contact with the others whenever possible. "True, we are warriors without peer, and I will personally prove wrong anyone who says otherwise. But, think about what Raneses' first orders for us will be. He has stated his intention to seize Hyrule. Who do you think he will send to accomplish this? We have been spying on them for centuries; we know their country as well as they do. But what has stopped us every time?"

She stopped in front of Ganondorf's portrait, to drive home her point. "The Hero. The Chosen Ones of the Hylian gods are gifted with supernatural reflexes, strength, and speed. They are no ordinary warriors, sisters. The current Hero fought alone through scores of the Accursed One's monsters, and even defeated the Accursed One himself in single combat, a feat only one other has managed to accomplish. His gods favor him strongly, so what do you think will happen when he decides that we are his enemies?"

"You would favor a foreigner over a member of your own kind? Over your own legal king?"

Nabooru was not sure which of the women made the incredulous statement, and she did not care. She was growing tired of their foolish adherence to tradition over common sense.

"I would not be the first!" she snarled at them. "Do none of you remember the tale of Sogolon? The king of her day wanted to enslave the Zuna, despite our treaty with them, and she knew he was wrong to do so, no matter his legal position. So, against orders, she rode ahead of the charge and warned them, enabling the Zuna to escape before the army reached their city.

"The King was furious, but the Zuna were so grateful to Sogolon that they supplied the Gerudo when the Hylians laid siege to our capital, after the King attacked them, also. Our fellow desert-dwellers braved the siege lines and kept us fed, and our wells flowing, while the Hylians starved in the sand.

"And when, after the Hylians finally retreated, they sent in their Hero to destroy us, Sogolon stopped him, and befriended him, showing him that not all the Gerudo were power-hungry and aggressive as our mad King." Nabooru looked around the room again. "Together, they showed our people that the King was insane, and was not fit to rule. Because of her brave actions, Sogolon was rewarded with the scimitar and the mantle of Matriarch. She went on to negotiate a treaty with the Hylians, and this lead to the longest-lasting peace between our peoples in our history." She paused, to let that sink in so she could drive her next point home. "That treaty lasted until the Accursed One broke it."

She began to walk around the edge of the room, behind the chairs. "Raneses is no different than his ancestor. He bears his face, his lust for power, and his ambition. He does not care what he has to do in his quest for power, and I know he will sacrifice us if it means winning his war. He does not care about us, even if we are his native people. He only wants us on his side so that he can use our skills to win his war of conquest, just like his ancestor. He will cast us aside the moment we are no longer useful to him, and we will be worse off than before."

One of her fellow raiders, a woman named Akame, shook her head as she stood. "Have you so little confidence in your own people, Nabooru? As you yourself said, we are warriors without peer. The Hylians are weak, like sheep. Their Hero is the only real warrior among them, and if he is dead, their country will finally be ours for the taking." She looked about the room, indicating Ganondorf's coronation portrait. "I was there when Raneses appeared to us. I fought him myself. If anyone deserves the scimitar of the greatest Gerudo warrior, it is him. He is powerful enough to kill their Hero, and lead us to victory. It is as our sister said; If he can lead us to glory, his methods do not matter."

She began to walk around the room, just as Nabooru had done, while she presented her argument. "Our people once had an empire that spanned this entire desert, and a good portion of the lands beyond. It was achieved through conquest, _earned_ through our blood and our sweat, ours to rule as we saw fit. We were a power to be reckoned with, and the weak trembled at our very name. But," her tone became angry and more forceful, "it was taken, _stolen_ from us by the Hylians and their accursed magic. Sisters, we have before us an opportunity to reclaim that greatness, instead of cowering wherever the Hylians drive us, desecrating our sacred lands and temples with their presence."

Akame stopped in the center of the circle the chairs made. "I am tired of raiding merchant caravans and harassing the coastal cities. We deserve better, sisters. We deserve to live in the green fields and cool winds of Hyrule, instead of scratching a living off of rocks and sand, baked by the sun and assaulted by the harsh winds. I say we stand with Raneses, take our chance at greatness, and if we die in the attempt, so be it! At least we took the chance, instead of dooming ourselves to extinction by refusing our rightful king!"

Nabooru noted with a sinking heart that almost everyone in the room besides herself and the Matriarch was nodding.

The Matriarch stood. "We will adjourn for today. I ask all of you to think long and carefully about what has been said here, and consider which way you will vote equally as carefully. We will hold the final vote tomorrow, and I will make my ruling based on what we think is best for our people."

The other women stood and began to file out of the council room, but at a surreptitious signal from the Matriarch, Nabooru stayed behind and closed the door.

The raider turned to see the Matriarch sigh heavily, seeming older than her years. "Sister, I know which way the others will vote tomorrow. I saw the way their eyes lit up when Akame spoke. They are all warriors at heart, and they are convinced, despite your words of reason. If I rule anything other than to surrender my scimitar to Raneses, they will likely kill me and give it to him anyway."

"I will kill anyone who tries such a thing!" Nabooru hissed.

The Matriarch smiled sadly. "I know you would, sister, but we are in enough danger of dying off without a civil war." She gripped Nabooru's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "That is why my task for you is all the more urgent. After the vote tomorrow, take three of your best warriors and go to find the Hero. You already know him, and perhaps, as with Sogolon, he will listen to you, and spare our people. From what you said of him, he seems like a compassionate man, and he may understand our situation."

She strode away, to stand in front of Ganondorf's later portrait, gazing at it while she spoke. "From the power Raneses demonstrated, I am certain it is he who is controlling the Oocca the Hero is seeking to defeat. If you assist the Hero in finding a way to defeat him, it will solve both our problems."

"I-I will do as you say, Matriarch." Nabooru knew what her leader had just asked her to do was tantamount to treason, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

The Matriarch turned to look at her again. "May you be successful, sister. For all our sakes."

* * *

Author's Note: There was originally supposed to be one more Hero's Company section, but I thought this a better end to the chapter, and the deleted section opens Chapter 22 instead. Also, this has been in my profile for a while, but I decided to put in here, also: I have several scenes and characters from this story I would like a picture of, but since I'm unfortunately lacking in artistic talents, anyone who has them and would be willing to work with me on these would be greatly appreciated. If you're interested, send me a PM and I'll give you further details. And, as always, tell me what you thought. Reviews are greatly appreciated.

(Revision Note: Silverwolf05, Desteni, and others have contributed some great fanart to this story, all of which you can find in the 'Story-related' folder of my Favorites on DeviantArt. The offer still stands, though, so anyone who wants to do art based on this story is more than welcome. Thanks for reading!)


	22. Warlords and Soldiers

Twenty-Two

As Erik left the Company's room in the hold of _Viridian Breeze_, Arnak sat down on the deck across from Princess Zelda, who was currently disguised as a Sheikah to prevent drawing attention to their group.

"Now," she said, her voice calm and pleasant, "I have told you how the Triforce originated, and how it has been used in the past, but in preparation for learning how to use the piece you bear, I will tell you what I know of the Golden Power itself.

"It is an artifact of boundless power, a fragment of the power of the Golden Goddesses themselves, left behind when they finished creating the world. It is meant to be borne as a whole, but to my knowledge, no individual has ever borne the entire Triforce at once. It is usually divided into its three pieces, Courage, Wisdom, and Power, each borne by the individual deemed to most embody each quality.

"The Hero, Link, bears Courage, and while the texts do not go into as much detail on Courage's powers as the other two, from what I have learned, it gives its bearer increased speed, strength, and reflexes. In Link's case, I believe it has sharpened his senses, as well. It also grants its bearer the courage to stand up to seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and strengthens its bearer after a particularly extreme test of their power. Link has told me of how he felt stronger after every titanic monster he fought, and to a lesser degree for other enemies, as well. I believe the Triforce of Courage gives its bearer the energy of a defeated foe, and there could likely be no limit on how much it could improve Link's abilities as long as he bears it.

"I bear Wisdom, as have many of my ancestors, stretching back to when the Triforce was first brought to this realm. From my research and my own experience, it not only enhances my intelligence, but it gives me the ability to read the emotions of others when I so choose. It also enhances my innate magical ability, and makes me more aware of magic and the elements. I am particularly sensitive to Shadow magic, and can sense someone using it, or a creature that has been tainted with it, more than other types of magic. As with the other pieces, though not to such an extent as Courage or Power, my piece of the Triforce enhances my physical abilities as well. I have found that the more skilled I grow in its use, the less sleep I need at night, and I also need less food than before, though it cannot sustain me entirely by itself."

Zelda smiled gently at him. "You have been chosen to bear Power, and to my knowledge, you are the first recorded person since Ganondorf to do so. It gives its bearer exactly what its name suggests: pure power. It enhances all of your natural abilities to an extreme degree, besides giving you an almost endless reservoir of energy to draw on. The Triforce of Power is perhaps the most physically potent of the three, and should you continue learning about it and the powers it can grant you, there is virtually no limit to what you can accomplish with it. It grants its bearer immortality, and as long as you bear it, you will never age and will never become ill, even by poison. It is possible you can still die by violent means, though if Ganondorf is any evidence, it will take a very serious wound to do so. It will preserve your spirit until you have strengthened enough to fashion yourself a new body, since it binds the essence of who you are to it. It is very unlikely that you will ever truly 'die', now that you possess this piece of the Triforce."

Her expression grew more serious. "But, this is only once you learn to draw on your Triforce's energies. Many of the effects I just described are passive, and began the moment the mark of the gods appeared on your hand, but others must be learned to be used."

Arnak nodded. "I have not been sick since it appeared, and I have noticed that I heal much more quickly from wounds than I used to." He gestured at his leg. "I broke my ankle at one point during my journey here, and it had healed the next day."

Zelda smiled slightly. "Once your Triforce is more active, such things will heal instantaneously, or will simply not happen. It is likely only magic will be able to harm you now, especially weapons such as the Master Sword and the Light Arrows."

Arnak smirked. "I suppose it is fortunate that I have allied myself with the bearers of those weapons, then."

This elicited a slight chuckle from the normally reserved princess. "Yes, I suppose so." She held her hands together, facing each other, in front of her, and indicated that he should do the same. "Now, since you are unused to the Golden Power, we will begin with a simple exercise. This will teach you to consciously draw on your Triforce's power, first of all, and once you have mastered it, we will move on to more advanced techniques."

The big man shifted uncomfortably. "I do not like the thought of using magic. I have found it to be unpredictable, and its users even more so. If my Triforce can do what you say, what is to stop me from accidentally obliterating this vessel?"

"You." Zelda's expression was serious. "You control the powers of your Triforce, not the other way around. Though it may have many passive effects, it will only activate its true potential when you will it to do so. This is what separates your piece from the others. Courage is almost entirely passive, and there is little Link can do to control it beyond controlling what he himself does. My piece, Wisdom, is largely passive, also, though I can consciously use its energies to enhance my abilities when I choose." She gestured up at her pointed ears. "Hylians such as myself all possess the innate ability to use magic, though not many cultivate this anymore." She gestured at him with one hand. "As you know, ordinary humans cannot use magic, except if they use an already magical object that they can learn to control, such as your Triforce of Power."

She met his eyes. "You have a piece of the Golden Power for a reason, Arnak. Rejecting its power is a waste. It has not only given you power, it has given you responsibility as well. It is your duty as a Triforce Bearer to use your power to help others. Ganondorf only desired the Triforce for his own ends, and he sought the power of the gods out of a desire to become a god himself.

"But you did not seek your power. It was given to you, and you have been chosen to wield it by the Goddesses to protect their creation. I will say again: it is an irresponsible waste to reject the power you have been given."

Arnak sighed. "Very well, then." He smiled slightly. "I can hardly refuse when you put it like that. What must I do?"

Zelda's voice was low and soothing, almost hypnotic as she spoke, and Arnak felt himself relaxing. "We will begin with a simple exercise. I want you to imagine a bubble between your hands. Just an ordinary bubble, made of air and water. Imagine as tiny as you can, the smallest bubble you remember seeing, and try to make this appear between your hands."

Arnak concentrated, imagined in his mind's eye a bubble no bigger than the head of a pin forming between his fingertips, and as he opened his eyes, saw it floating there, barely visible.

Beyond it, Zelda saw it and nodded. "Good. Now, all I want you to do is make the bubble bigger. Make it the size of a pebble now. Just imagine it growing, as slowly as you like."

Arnak concentrated again, and as he did so, he felt an odd sensation at the back of his mind. He could _feel_ the bubble floating between his hands, the tension holding it together, the air pressing ever so slightly against it. It was like nothing he had ever felt before, and he nearly lost his control over the bubble as he marveled at the sensation. He returned his attention to it, and as he imagined the bubble suddenly expanding to the size of a small pebble, it did so before his eyes.

"Very good." His teacher smiled again. "Now, make it even bigger, Make it the size of your fist."

He imagined it doing so, and even easier than before, it expanded again, beginning to spin slightly between his hands.

"Now for something a little more complicated. Are you ready for a challenge?" He nodded, and she continued. "I want you to imagine a second bubble, inside the first, spinning in the opposite direction. Make it just slightly smaller than the first, not quite touching it."

It hardly took any effort at all to do what she had described. Under her direction, he added a third, and a fourth, and a fifth bubble, one inside the other, spinning in alternating directions. All he had to do was imagine it happening, and it happened. It was incredibly easy, and he wondered that he hadn't been able to this before, though he had to admit that he hadn't really tried.

"You are learning very quickly, Arnak. I'm going to ask you to do something a little more difficult now. Spread your hands apart, and move the bubbles to your left hand." He did so, it barely requiring any of his concentration now. "Create a twin above your right hand, exactly the same as the first."

It appeared as a speck over his right hand, and quickly expanded to become another set of five bubbles inside one another, spinning in alternating directions.

Zelda looked up at him, her warm grey eyes meeting his. "Is this difficult for you to maintain?"

Arnak shook his head slightly. "No."

It was in fact, if possible, even easier than everything else he had done, requiring only minimal effort and an infinitesimal part of his concentration to maintain. On a whim, he added three more identical sets of bubbles above his hands, expanding one to greater size, and making the other four orbit around it at varying speeds. This was almost pitifully easy. He needed a challenge, now. Something truly complicated for him to create and control.

Through the spinning bubbles, he saw a brief concerned frown flash across Zelda's face. "We will stop there for now. You have made amazing progress in only a short time, and I do not want you to overexert yourself."

Arnak made the bubbles vanish as quickly as they had appeared. _Overexert myself? This was easy! What does she really mean?_

"I will come up with another lesson by this evening. I will see you then." Zelda stood and left the room, the concerned frown still upon her features.

Arnak shrugged, distracted by his newfound power, and once she had left, he made all of the bubbles reappear, adding many more sets, spinning inside each other, and made them dance about the room, marveling that all of this was under his control.

* * *

The vote went as the Matriarch had predicted; there were only two votes against surrendering leadership to Raneses. Nabooru felt her disappointment with her sisters deeply, but knew there was only one thing she could do about it; Find the Hero and help him stop Raneses before too many of them were killed.

As soon as the vote was over, Raneses' skulking servant was summoned from where it had been since he left it there. It had promised to remain in the cell formerly occupied by the Antihero and Zherron, and told them that its master had told it not to spy on them during their deliberations.

Nabooru repressed a shudder of disgust as the thing followed the messenger into the chamber. It looked vaguely humanoid, with glowing yellow eyes like its master, and appeared to be made of swirling black smoke, at times more solid, and sometimes less. It still astonished her that her fellow Gerudo were willing to follow someone who would use such a creature, but there was nothing she could do to dissuade them now.

"You have reached a decision?" Its voice was high and thin, with a slight ghostly echo to it that made Nabooru loathe it all the more.

The Matriarch stood, her face resigned. Nabooru felt for her sister, knowing that she did not like what she now had to do, but had little choice.

"We have. You may tell your master…" The Matriarch sighed quietly. "You may tell him that we recognize him as our legal king."

With a suddenness that made all the women in the room gasp in surprise, Raneses himself appeared out of the creature, swelling to his imposing height of seven-and-a-half feet and striding to the middle of the room, his cloak billowing about him. His hood was down, and a triumphant grin was on his face, eerily similar to the one on his ancestor's later portrait. His servant faded into his shadow, and Raneses spread his arms wide.

"I thank you, sisters, for reaching the right decision. As I promised, I will lead our people to heights of glory the likes of which we have never seen. _I_ will succeed where Ganondorf failed, and I will give us the land of Hyrule we have desired for so long, forever! It is already emptied of its inhabitants, and we may move in whenever we choose." His grin became more solemn. "Come. We will assemble the people, and you will announce to them who I am and that I am now their king. I will speak to them then, and explain our first steps in reclaiming our greatness."

Raneses moved to leave the council chamber, but he stopped at the door. He turned and pointed at the portrait of Ganondorf that had been made shortly before his first defeat. "Remove that from this chamber. We will shortly have one to replace it." Without another word, he left the room, and the council members followed him.

The Matriarch gave Nabooru a meaningful look on her way out, and the raider made sure she was at the back of the line. She would make sure that she and her raiding party left before Raneses came up with a task for her. Hopefully, he would let them go and believe that they were just resuming their duties.

As they walked to the central square, Nabooru was already making plans. She would take her raiding party to the edge of the desert, near Athaca, and instruct her second-in-command to report that she had been killed in a skirmish. If Raneses believed her dead, she would be free to carry out her mission.

As the bell was rung to tell the people to come to the central square, Raneses and the women of the council assembled on the small stage that sat next to the council building. They stood in a line, with Raneses and the Matriarch in front of them, and Nabooru made sure that she was the one closest to the door.

The raider was lost in her own thoughts as the city's population assembled, and was only half listening as the Matriarch announced who was standing next to her, to stunned silence from the people. The current Gerudo ruler made a show of surrendering the jeweled scimitar to Raneses, but only Nabooru saw the brief frown that tugged at the corners of her mouth as she did so.

Raneses stepped forward, holding the scimitar over his head, and boomed out that he was their king, and would lead them to greatness.

As he continued with his speech full of grandiose promises and stirring words, Nabooru continued to formulate her plans, not believing a word he said. She would go alone, dressed in clothes they had taken from the merchant caravans they raided, and with her hair dyed dark and her forehead jewel removed, she could pass for a dark-skinned human, despite her bright green eyes.

She would have to be unobtrusive, but she was sure she could find out where the Hero's Company had sailed to in Athaca. They were a distinctive enough group that she was sure someone would remember them and which ship they sailed on.

Nabooru would have to find them quickly once she was across the sea, since she knew nothing about Calatia, and would quickly be lost if she did not find them almost immediately. It was unlikely, but her best bet would be to try and overtake whatever ship the Hero and his allies sailed on before they got all the way across the ocean. Barring that, she would have to find a ship capable of getting there before the Company, since they were a week across the sea and would be in Calatia in another week. She even considered finding a mage skilled in teleportation, even though magic-users were culturally looked upon with suspicion by the Gerudo.

Raneses had now launched into a vivid description of Hyrule and how much they deserved it more than the weak Hylians, whipping the crowd into a frenzy as he contrasted the Golden Kingdom and the desert. He described how the Hylians had been driven from their lands, and now Hyrule was ready to be taken by its 'rightful owners', once the Hylians were found and exterminated. Nabooru inwardly marveled that none of the crowd questioned where this man had come from, and why he had waited until now to make it known that Ganondorf had an heir. The lure of conquest and glory was too strong, she supposed.

"And any that survive," he bellowed, "we will drive into this desert! Let _them_ see our hardships! Let _them_ try to survive here as well as we have all these centuries! They are weak and soft, sisters! The desert will consume them, and we will be free to live in the green fields and cool winds of Hyrule, free to build ourselves a new empire, one that will last for eternity!" He raised his arms, the scimitar in his hand gleaming as the desert sun reflected off its polished blade into the crowd. "Are you with me, sisters?"

The crowd erupted into wild cheers, stamping their feet and clashing their scimitars together, creating a deafening racket. Nabooru had to admit that it was impressive, but she wondered if any would still be cheering when the Hero led the Hylian Army against them and they were all slaughtered under Link's blade.

_Not if I succeed,_ she thought to herself, glaring at Raneses' back. _Not if I find him first, and help him kill this monster._

Raneses lowered his arms. "Then go, sisters! This is my first command to you as your king: Ready yourselves to march into Hyrule, all of you! Contact the other cities, and tell them the desert must empty! Go now!"

The crowd dispersed, still cheering, and Raneses turned to leave the stage. He stopped suddenly, and looked sharply at Nabooru.

_Oh, no. _

She remembered, too late, that Raneses had looked into her mind the first time they met. He almost certainly knew what she had been thinking about during his speech. She inwardly cursed herself for being so foolish.

"Sisters, see to the organization of the march. I have things to discuss with our sister, here. Our army will need a general, and perhaps an experienced raider will be suitable." He looked over at her, his face impassive, but his eyes glowed slightly brighter. The glow was harder to see in daylight, but it was obvious to Nabooru he was angry.

None of the others seemed to notice, and Akame even gave her a dirty look as she passed her, no doubt envious of the reward she thought her rival was about to get. The members of the council went back into the council building, and would be busy for several days to come with the tasks they had just been given. The Matriarch lingered at the door for a moment, concern in her eyes, but she reluctantly went inside when Raneses glared at her, pointing at the council building.

Once they were alone, the new Dark Lord leaned in close to her, his imposing frame blotting out the sun. "You have given me a dilemma, Nabooru. You seek to betray me to the Hylians, and this cannot be allowed, yet your death will be noticed by the people. They have only just met me, and are of course not yet loyal enough to me that executing you will seem justified. It will take time, time you will attempt to use against me." He began to pace in front of her, appearing to be deep in thought. When he rounded on her again, the yellow glow of his eyes was more evident than ever.

"I will just have to focus on you more than the others." He set the jeweled scimitar on the decorative railing that spanned the stage, and removed his cloak, also, setting it next to the ancient weapon. He turned to face the raider again, and raised his hand. Just as the first time she had encountered him, she lifted into the air, helpless against his invisible hold.

Raneses stared deeply into Nabooru's eyes, and with horror, she could _feel_ him moving about in her mind, examining her every thought and memory with cold precision. She tried to look away, to struggle out of his hold, but his yellow eyes were entrancing, and she could not look away. She felt him moving about in her mind, and she tried to throw him out, resist in any way she could, but he was like a cold, wet blanket, smothering her, and after a few moments, her struggles slowly ceased.

He slowly lowered her to the ground, and as she felt the stone beneath her feet, it was as if something snapped in her mind. She stared straight ahead without really seeing anything for several long moments, lost in a fog.

As she regained her thoughts, Nabooru held a hand against her temple, her mind swirling. There was a… plan. What was the plan? She meant to… to… What? What was it she meant to do?

Oh, yes, that was it. She had to find the Hero. For the good of all her people, she had to find the warrior named Link and his allies, wherever they had gone.

And kill them.

* * *

Princess Zelda was deep in thought for the rest of the day. She sat by herself at a spot near the bow of _Viridian Breeze_, watching the sun set over the water. A part of her was relaxed by the beautiful colors, reflected in the water as well as the sky, but she barely noticed them, her mind still troubled by her lesson with Arnak.

She had been reading his emotions as he experimented with his power, and she had not liked the way he had been thinking at the end, before she left. He had wanted a challenge, something to test himself against, after only a few minutes of using the power of his Triforce.

Was this one of the effects of bearing the Triforce of Power? Did it make one more aggressive, making the bearer want to seek out challenges worthy of the power it granted? Was this the reason Ganondorf assaulted Hyrule, to draw out the Hero so he could challenge him?

There was the old saying that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Did this extend even to a sacred relic of the Goddesses?

Zelda frowned. She could be worrying for nothing, for all she knew. Just because Arnak had learned quickly and wanted a challenge did not mean he was going to turn into the previous bearer of his Triforce piece. He was a compassionate man at heart, and she had never seen him do something cruel or mean-spirited. If his Triforce had truly corrupted him, he would have laughed in Nabooru's face when she asked him for help. Link had told her that Arnak had thought seriously about it, and had even asked the Hero if they could spare anyone to leave behind before reluctantly refusing.

But, he had confronted Erik earlier that day, all but accusing him of being a traitor and a spy for their enemy. She knew he had never liked the Sheikah warrior, for whatever reason, and that he distrusted magic-users in general. Did this mean Arnak was watching her with equal suspicion?

"Is something the matter?"

Zelda jumped slightly at the voice, and turned to see Link standing behind her, the sea breeze playing with his hair as he looked down at her.

She shook her head. "No, I was just… thinking."

He sat down next to her. "There must be something wrong. You were frowning pretty hard, there."

Zelda looked over at her fellow Triforce Bearer. "It's Arnak. He's beginning to worry me."

"What'd he do?"

"When I attempted to teach him more about his Triforce, he went from not knowing a thing about it to doing something I couldn't do until I was ten years old in only a few minutes." She described her lesson to the Hero, who nodded thoughtfully as she spoke.

He laid a hand on her arm. "Relax. I don't think Arnak's going to turn into Ganondorf anytime soon. He's just not that kind of person." Link grinned. "If he starts saying things like he thinks _he_ should rule the world, _then_ I'll start worrying about him."

Zelda couldn't help but smile when he put it that way.

Link stood and extended his hand to her. "Come on. You missed the craziest fish story by the captain, and now the crew's getting their instruments. It's time for some fun!"

He tugged her along to the widest part of the deck, where most of _Viridian Breeze_'s crew was gathered, a group of them setting up their instruments near the stern railing.

One of them, a bright green scarf tied around his neck, stood up and held up his hands for silence. "All right, lads, and lasses," he winked at Midna, who stood near him, "we've reached the midpoint of our crossing. As you all know, this be the time for the one bit o' fun the Captain'll allow us before he makes us all get back to work." This got a good chuckle from the crew, and Captain Gregor crossed his arms and pretended to frown before laughing himself.

The crewman picked up a guitar. "I'm sure you all know this one, and even if you don't, dance anyway!" He launched into a lively tune, accompanied by another crewman on the fiddle, two more on hornpipes, and one with a squeeze-box.

Several of the sailors started a complicated dance, and the others clapped their hands in time with the music, passing out mugs of some undoubtedly alcoholic beverage. Zelda politely refused when she was offered one, but Raskys, who was standing next to her, accepted his with a gleam in his eye.

"I know this song!" he said to no one in particular, pushing through the crowd a little ways and leaping up onto a barrel.

He raised his mug and began to sing, several of the sailors joining in after the first verse. The song was apparently called 'Everything Looks Better After a Few Pints', since that phrase was part of the chorus. It was raucous, frequently ribald, and surprisingly to the princess, enjoyable.

She found herself clapping her hands and tapping her foot to the song, smiling despite herself at lyrics the other ladies of the royal court would have blushed at. She never got to experience things like this, and likely never would again after she had to return to the business of running her kingdom. Royal balls and other courtly functions were not for enjoyment, and the dancing there was nothing like this. This served no purpose other than to relieve stress and to enjoy oneself. It was somewhat of a new experience for Hyrule's Princess, and she knew she had to savor it while it lasted.

Zelda allowed herself to forget all the worries that plagued her mind, and let herself have a good time, laughing with the others when Link attempted to duplicate the sailors' dance, dragging Midna out with him. The two of them decided after a few attempts to invent their own dance, and soon it was the sailors trying to copy them, the whole group laughing merrily at both success and failure.

The band switched to a different song, just as lively as the first, and surprisingly, Raskys knew this one, too. It was in a language Zelda did not know, but from the way the sailors were laughing as they sung it, she thought it was probably similar to the last one.

As Zelda looked around, she spotted Arnak standing near where Raskys stood on the barrel, a mug in his hand and a smile on his face. The big man leaned over and said something to Captain Gregor that made the other man laugh so hard he nearly dropped his mug.

All the fun was disrupted when a call came down from the crow's nest. "Ship ahoy! Lanterns off the starboard bow!"

Zelda rushed with the others to the rail, where all peered out into the darkness for the ship. The princess spotted it at about the same time as the sailor next to her, who shouted out that the mystery ship wasn't moving, and that they were about to pass it. From the angle of the lanterns, the ship was listing to one side, and there were no signals from it.

Captain Gregor started shouting orders. "Take in the sails, lads! Prepare to drop anchor! Run out the guns and prepare the boats!"

"What are you going to do?" Zelda heard Arnak ask the captain.

Gregor scratched his chin. "I'm going to signal her, and if she don't answer, I'm going to send over some boats to investigate. The guns are in case she's a pirate vessel, pretending to be distressed so she can attack us. I've had every trick in the book tried on me, and not one of 'em has worked yet!" He turned to shout another order. "Send up the flares!"

The flares were lit, and there was no response. The captain signaled twice more, and did not receive an answer to either. The mystery ship just sat there, only visible by its lanterns.

"This is right peculiar," Gregor said, looking out at the other ship. "She must have hit a reef or something. Either that, or she was attacked and left for dead. Come on, lads! Let's go have a look."

Link tapped the captain's shoulder. "If I may, sir, I'd like to go on one of the boats." Zelda also volunteered, thinking that perhaps her Triforce of Wisdom would be able to provide insights the others might miss.

Captain Gregor grunted. "All right, do as you please. Don't get in the way of my men, and you do as I say while we're over there." He stopped and looked back at them. "And it's just the two of you! I don't need a bunch of landlubbers lollygagging about and getting in my way if we have to get out of there quickly. Now, come on afore I change my mind!"

The two of them got into one of the boats, along with the captain and four other crew members, and Link helped to row once the boat was in the water. The captain stood in the bow with a lantern, peering out into the darkness at the mystery ship as they drew closer to it.

Gradually, Zelda was able to make out some details in the darkness. The ship was relatively small, with two masts, and was armed, with at least six cannon ports on the side Zelda could see. It didn't look like a warship, but a merchant vessel or cargo hauler, like _Viridian__ Breeze_.

Theirs was the second boat to arrive, and the little group climbed up a ladder on the hull of the disabled ship, stepping out onto the sloping deck.

"Ahoy there!" Captain Gregor shouted. "Is anyone aboard?"

Silence.

Next to Zelda, Link reached up and scratched the back of his neck with his left hand, his fingers lingering on the hilt of his sword. "I don't like this," he said. "Something's not right here."

The ship was completely empty of life. There was no evidence whatsoever of a struggle, or an evacuation, or a crash. The cannons were all securely fastened, there were no cannonballs or powder next to them, or any evidence that the crew had prepared for a battle, and all sails were unfurled, despite the fact that the ship wasn't moving. The boats were all sitting on the deck, lashed down, and there were no empty spots or even one that was uncovered or in any stage of being prepared to use. The only thing out of the ordinary was that there wasn't anybody aboard other than the crew of the_ Viridian Breeze_.

"Her anchor's down, sir, but the wheel's free!" one of the crewmen shouted from behind them.

"That doesn't make sense," Gregor muttered to himself. He looked up at Link and Zelda. "You there! Make yourself useful and go check belowdecks." He turned to the other crewmen. "Get this tub shipshape! We're taking her to Redeen. Maybe somebody there knows her and can tell us what happened."

The two of them found a door and went down to the next deck, Link in the lead with his lantern out. They walked slowly through the ship, opening every door and frequently calling out, but there was never any response, and still no signs anything was wrong with the vessel. They found beds with rumpled blankets, tables with meals still sitting on them, and both of them felt a chill when Link found a journal that stopped in mid-sentence, the first letter of a new word only half-formed and the pencil lying on the page.

The journal wasn't in a language Link knew, but Zelda recognized it, and was able to glean from the journal that the ship was named _Moonbeam_, and that she was a merchant vessel like _Viridian Breeze,_ hauling cargo and occasionally passengers for hire. The journal reported nothing out of the ordinary happening except for an unusual windless storm that had begun an hour before the entry, according to its vanished writer.

When the Hero and the princess checked the hold, no cargo appeared to be missing, and there were no leaks or any other kind of discernible damage. There was just… nobody here. They returned to the captain and reported their findings to him.

"None of my men found anything wrong with her, either." Gregor frowned deeply, running a hand through his wild black hair. "She's fine, 'cept there's nobody here. It's downright eerie, is what it is."

"You've got that right," said Link, looking around.

Gregor moved off, shouting orders to the crew members now scurrying about the abandoned vessel, getting it ready to sail. The captain found a box of flares and signaled his ship, covering and uncovering one of the lanterns in a specific pattern. The _Viridian Breeze _flashed one of her lanterns in response, and as Zelda watched, the lights of the other ship began to draw closer.

Zelda extended her senses, attempting so see if there was any trace of magic energy, and after a few moments, she located a faint trace of… something, insubstantial and elusive. Trying to get a fix on it was like trying to keep water from flowing out of her hand.

Link bent to pick something up off the deck, half-hidden under one of the boats, and he held it up for the princess to see. "This has to be the biggest feather I've ever seen. It'd have to be an awfully big bird to grow something like this. Say, man-sized?" He gave her a meaningful look.

She leaned in closer to examine the feather, and kept her voice low. "You think the Oocca had something to do with this?"

Link nodded grimly. "After all the other things we've seen them do, it wouldn't surprise me. The only question is: Why? Why take all the people off a ship and leave it sitting here?" He stretched his sword hand inside its gauntlet, frowning slightly. "And, how'd they get them to come without a fight? I mean, look around!" He gestured out at the pristine deck of _Moonbeam_, with only the salvagers from_ Viridian Breeze_ moving about on it. "There aren't any signs of a struggle at all. It's like everybody just dropped what they were doing and peacefully marched off to be captured. They'd have had to sink the ship to get me off, if I was here." Link sighed angrily. "It's like the more we find out about these people, the more we're reminded how much we _don't_ know."

Zelda had been thinking along the same lines. "Perhaps we will be able to find out more when we meet with this group of mercenaries Majacen mentioned."

Link sighed again. "We'd better. I fought a war by myself once already; I don't really want to do it again."

* * *

Ivan crouched low in the bushes, his blue cloak removed so as not to give him away. The other two members of his scouting party sat on either side of him, and the three were patiently watching the scene in front of them.

Darknuts, according to all of the stories about them, were mostly solitary creatures, tending to pick out hiding places for themselves where they could await adventurers and challenge them. The gigantic armored warriors were said to dislike each other's company, and would often fight when two of them met.

_Well,_ Ivan thought disgustedly, _the stories are wrong_.

Massed on the plain below Ivan's scouting party was an army, highly organized, of nearly five thousand Darknuts, by their reckoning. More warriors were arriving every day over the bridge to the east, and just in this portion of Hyrule Field alone, the large, wide plain that stretched from Castle Town to Kakariko, there were nearly ten thousand creatures encamped, ranging from Darknuts to Lizalfos and Bulblins, plus several other creatures Ivan had never seen before. There were many humans, also, dressed in exotic clothes of a kind Ivan didn't recognize, and these men were camped a few miles away from the Darknuts, practicing endlessly with their spears and swords against each other, as well as some form of martial arts that involved lots of acrobatic leaping about.

In the three days they had been camped here, watching the army, the Oocca flying fortress had remained hovering over Hyrule Castle, which had been in the final stages of reconstruction from the last time it was attacked. The fortress was completely motionless, and looked for all the world like it was balancing on the tallest spire of the castle. Flying creatures periodically emerged and flew over the army, sometimes landing to confer with the commanders, and Ivan and his men had taken precautions to make sure they were not visible from the air. The last thing they needed was for a thousand Darknuts to come bearing down on them. Just _one_ of the damned things was more than a match for ten ordinary men.

As they watched, a group, small in comparison to the army, but still numbering about a hundred and fifty, assembled a mile or so from where Ivan and his men crouched, near the gates of Kakariko. Around thirty of these were Darknuts, and the remainder of the force was divided almost evenly between Bulblins, Lizalfos, and the strange men who dressed in bright colors.

Ivan sighed quietly. They were almost certainly moving to attack Kakariko again, and they had plenty of reinforcements if this group failed. It was time to warn the people still in Kakariko to leave while they still could. The Deku Tree had told them more than once that nothing he did not wish could get through his protection now, and that his woods had the capacity to hold thousands. It looked more and more like the sacred forest would be filled by war's end.

It wasn't much of a war, though. 'War' implied battles, the two sides striking at each other, and so far in Hyrule, the only battles had been to cover the retreat of the Hyrulians when the enemy attacked them.

Ivan tapped the shoulder of the man sitting next to him. "Come on, we have to get to Kakariko before they do. Maybe the Gorons can help us get the people out of there before the attack."

The three men slowly crept out of their hiding place, hoping they could avoid a battle in the canyon village if at all possible. With this many enemies sitting practically on the village's doorstep, it would be a slaughter.

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, I'll admit it; I like cliffhangers. The pace is really going to pick up in the next few chapters, and there's going to be a lot more action coming up, too. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!

(Revision Note: The usual; fixed errors, reworded a few places that needed it, and other minor stuff. Thanks for reading!)


	23. Wanderers and Searchers

Twenty-Three

"I'm going to kill you, you know that?"

"Doubtful. It is unlikely we will see each other again, and you are hardly in a position to carry out your threat at this time."

Nemo growled under his breath. Zherron had to be one of the most infuriating individuals he or any of his predecessors had ever met. He lunged at the scientist, but was stopped by his manacles.

He spit at Zherron, but he missed. "I'll still find a way. You can't be under guard all the time."

The scientist sighed impatiently. "Please cease your threats. I am supposed to ascertain that you are fit to carry out your mission. Lord Raneses demands that you be capable of following his orders without distraction from unnecessary pain. Have you fully recovered from the surgery?"

Nemo held up his left hand, wrapped in thick white bandages in contrast to his dark skin and clothing, and made an obscene gesture with it.

Zherron made no appearance of being offended, and made a check on his notepad. "Your regenerative powers have fully restored mobility to your limb? Lord Raneses wants to make sure you will be able to fight unimpeded."

"How about you let me loose, and I'll show you just how 'unimpeded' I am?"

The scientist made another check on his notepad, and looked up at Nemo. "It is my judgment that you are in normal condition, and will be able to carry out your mission without handicap." Zherron tucked his notepad under his arm and spun on his heel, walking out of the room without another word.

Nemo spit after him, grinning as he heard the acid eat into the metal floor of his cell.

The door of his cell slammed open, and he jumped back, more in surprise than anything else. An enormous cloaked man strode into the room, yellow eyes glowing malevolently under his hood, and a hand appeared out of the cloak, gesturing sharply.

Nemo's chains clattered to the floor, and instantly, he leaped at the cloaked man, hands outstretched like claws before him. The hand gestured again, and he froze in mid-leap, suddenly unable to move.

"Control yourself, creature." Raneses' deep voice echoed slightly in the metal cell. "Must I remind you again that resistance to me is pointless? I am more powerful than you can ever hope to be, and there is nothing you can do to harm me."

Nemo felt himself slowly lowering to the floor, and just as suddenly, he was able to move again. "What do you want?" he snarled.

Raneses' hooded head moved slowly back and forth. "Such impertinence. It is unfortunate I do not have time to teach you the proper respect, monster." He removed his hood, and Nemo was struck again at just how closely he resembled Ganondorf. "But, I have a task for you, creature. I think that you will enjoy it."

"Oh? What is it? Beat a Goron at wrestling? Stop a lava flow with my bare hands? Listen to Zherron lecture for ten minutes? Frankly, I'd rather do the first two at once."

The new Dark Lord glared down at him. "You are a creature of crude violence. You have no other uses, so I will make use of your one strength. You will eliminate one of my opponents for me."

Nemo grinned. "You're sending me after Link? Hey, say no more; I'll do that one for free. Just point me at him."

Raneses made a clenching motion with his hand, and Nemo's heart suddenly felt as if icy fingers were squeezing it. He collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest and gasping at the pain. Not even Zherron cutting open his hand while he was still conscious had been this agonizing.

"You will speak only when I indicate that you do so. Is that understood, creature?"

Nemo choked out an affirmative, and he was released. He fell on his face against the metal floor, gasping for breath, and Raneses waited for him to rise before speaking again.

"I have decided to use your penchant for violence against this man." Raneses' other hand appeared from beneath his cloak, and an image of a severe-looking man dressed in some sort of uniform appeared. His hair was white, but he did not appear to be an old man.

"His name is Viserys, and he commands a fleet of airships that are a threat to the Oocca. This cannot be allowed to continue, and so you will eliminate him." Raneses closed his hand and the image disappeared. "You are free to use any methods you wish. Do you have any questions?"

"Where is he?" Nemo continued to clutch his chest, still breathing heavily.

Raneses' expression was almost pitying. "I am giving you your independence, creature. It is your responsibility to find him yourself."

Nemo felt a hint of his defiance creeping back. "What's to stop me from helping him destroy your feathered friends? I could probably tear one of those fortresses apart with my bare hands."

Raneses opened his hand again, and what appeared to be a sliver of obsidian rested in his palm. It lifted into the air and hovered between them as the Dark Lord spoke. "Do not deceive yourself otherwise, creature. You are my servant now, and will be until I deem you no longer useful to me." He motioned slightly with two of his fingers, and the sliver hovered toward Nemo's forehead.

The Antihero tried to step back, but he was frozen again, and could only watch as the sliver of black stone drew closer.

"As you have proven yourself untrustworthy, you must be kept in line. This is merely a little something to ensure that you will carry out my instructions." The glow from Raneses' eyes increased noticeably as he spoke.

Nemo felt the sliver digging into his head, and he gritted his teeth at the pain. It settled inside, and he felt his skin close over it. He reached up to touch his forehead curiously, and he looked over to see Raneses with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"You are no longer restrained, monster. You may do as you wish." Raneses made a show of indicating that he was unarmed, opening his arms wide.

Nemo snarled and leaped at him again, only to be stopped by the most intense pain he had ever experienced. Shrieking, he pressed his hands against his head, rolling on the floor in his agony. It felt as if a white-hot brand was stabbing through his head, and he clawed at his forehead, trying to remove whatever Raneses had placed there.

The pain cut off abruptly, and the Antihero felt himself being hauled upright. Raneses bent down to glare into his eyes, and Nemo leaned away, genuinely afraid of another being for the first time since he could remember. He was used to being feared, and to have another being so effortlessly incapacitate him was something new for the Antihero.

"That is what you will feel for any traitorous thought, monster. If you wish to spare yourself from that feeling, you will do as I say, and will make no attempt to do anything detrimental to my plans. Do you understand?"

Nemo nodded mutely.

Raneses straightened. "Good. You may begin your mission now." He gestured at Nemo again, and the world was replaced by blackness.

* * *

Link watched as Arnak paid Captain Gregor, and the sailor checked the bag of Rupees as the big man walked away. _Viridian Breeze_ and _Moonbeam_ were berthed side by side, and sailors from the _Breeze_ scrambled through the rigging of both ships. Link had silently vowed to himself to find out exactly what had happened to the crew of the abandoned ship, and Gregor had said several times on the way here that he was going to try and find a relative of the owner's to give _Moonbeam_ to, but Link knew he would likely keep it for himself. It was also probable that he would keep his word, though; Gregor was a hard man to judge.

The Hero's Company was gathered on the dock at the port city of Redeen, which was the fourth largest city on the coast of Calatia, according to Captain Gregor. It was small, and the buildings were mostly square and brown. It was largely uninteresting, but the taverns were said to be good sources of information, so the Company was splitting up to cover the city.

They were here to find a way to contact Viserys, the leader of the only real opposition to the Oocca. His soldiers were said to be stationed all over this continent, so it was merely a matter of finding a group of them that could contact headquarters.

Link, Midna, and Majacen were taking the port quarter of the city, and the others were going to cover the other parts of the city and find a place to stay the night. The three of them headed off into the port quarter, passing sailors and laborers along the way. The smell of the sea and fish lingered in the air.

Next to him, Midna wrinkled her nose. "Ugh."

"What is it?" Link asked.

"Until now, I thought nothing smelled worse than the goats from your village. It looks like I was wrong."

They both chuckled as they walked, their footsteps making hollow thumps on the planks of the boardwalk as the three of them walked deeper into the city.

Link stopped and gestured at one of the squat brown stone buildings. "We'll start here."

Midna crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know, Link. This place looks kind of seedy."

The building _was_ fairly dilapidated, Link thought, but he gestured at the hilt of the Master Sword with his thumb. "It's nothing we can't handle. C'mon."

Majacen gestured at the building. "If you will note, there are soldiers entering and leaving. Soldiers often keep tabs on one another, so it is likely someone inside can direct us to the nearest encampment of Viserys' men."

The three of them stepped inside, and as the interior was quite a bit darker than the streets outside, their eyes took a few moments to adjust to the light. The tavern, being near the wharf, was decorated in a nautical theme, with a few harpoons and fishnets on the walls, and a few sets of shark jaws. The patrons were mostly sailors, some of them dressed in exotic brightly colored clothes. Most of them were rather surly-looking, and would likely not be of much help. Still, they knew nothing about Calatia, -even Majacen had never been to this continent before- and this would be a good way to find out about the locals.

Majacen leaned over to whisper to Link and Midna. "We should split up to cover the tavern faster. If we do not find the information we seek here, we can likely do three or four more establishments of this kind today before we meet the others."

Midna poked Link's shoulder. "Hey, play it casual, Mr. Hero. These guys aren't likely to react well to direct questioning, so don't go interrogating them. Be friendly, okay?"

The Hero nodded, and they branched off, Majacen heading for the back of the tavern, Midna for the area near the entrance, and Link went to the bar.

He signaled to the bartender that he would like a mug of the local brew, and he settled onto the stool, looking around the dimly lit room. As he brought his tankard to his lips, the Hero felt someone shove his arm sharply, causing him to spill a little of his drink on the counter. Link looked over to see a huge, muscular, gap-toothed sailor glaring at him. The man said several words in a language that Link didn't understand, and Link shrugged, returning to his drink.

He was shoved again, and Link turned to the sailor. "What? Am I in your seat? I'll move."

The man continued to glare at Link, saying several more words in his language. His tone was challenging, and Link shrugged again.

"I don't understand what you're saying." Link stood and picked up his tankard, moving to sit at another place at the bar, but his antagonist followed him, continuing to speak, and getting louder, too.

"He says he doesn't like you." The words were in Hylian, and the speaker was another man of about the same size, with a long, jagged scar running down his cheek.

"I'm sorry," Link replied.

The scarred man shoved Link's shoulder. "I don't like you, either."

"That's too bad," Link said, setting down his ale, "but I don't want any trouble."

The first man said a few more angry phrases, and his associate translated. "He thinks your ears look funny. He wants to know if they're real or not."

Link saw what was coming next, and as the first man reached out to grab his pointed ear, the Hero caught his arm in a grip like a vise. He squeezed, and the gap-toothed sailor cried out in pain. "I _said_," Link responded, his voice deadly serious, "that I don't want any trouble."

The scarred sailor pulled a knife. "You don't want to mess with us, boy."

Link allowed both his voice and his expression to become much more threatening than he usually allowed. For a man capable of extraordinary feats of combat, Link didn't like to advertise, but all these brutes would understand was force.

"Leave me alone," he said, his blue eyes burning.

These were apparently very thick men, because the man with the scar rushed forward, slashing with his knife. Link twisted the gap-toothed sailor's arm, and the knife stabbed into it as Link released the man and stepped back, his hand coming up to grasp his sword. The gap-toothed sailor howled in pain and punched his companion, and the two men took to scuffling. The other patrons drunkenly cheered them on, watching with great amusement.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and only the familiar chuckle that accompanied it kept Link from drawing his sword and turning around in the Mortal Draw, the skill ingrained into his reflexes.

"You just can't avoid causing trouble, can you?" Midna smirked next to him. "I knew you started that fight in Athaca."

Link gestured at the two men, still fighting. "Hey, one of them shoved me, and the other one did, too, and when the first one tried to grab my ear, I stopped him. That's all."

"Sure, Mr. Hero." Midna playfully tugged on his cap. "I told you, the hat attracts attention."

Link was about to respond that he didn't see how his hat was any more conspicuous than her bright orange hair and glowing tattoos when one of the scufflers' friends swung a chair at him, and the Master Sword leaped out its sheath, his arm moving almost too fast to see as he sliced the chair in half.

While the majority of the denizens of the seaport bar kept to themselves, merely observing the fight, several more burly men shoved their way through the crowd, headed for the Hero and Midna. Link sheathed the Master Sword and used only his fists and feet to defend himself, first against the two sailors that had originally attacked him. Midna smirked as she dropped into a defensive crouch, shaking her head in amusement.

The scarred man sliced with his knife, and Link nimbly stepped aside, grabbing the sailor's wrist as he punched the man in the nose. He heard a crack, and as the man was stumbling, the Hero elbowed him in the stomach, kicking him behind the knee at the same time. As the gap-toothed sailor who had originally shoved Link came in swinging with a table leg, Link ducked under it, and the gap-toothed man hit his companion instead, breaking the leg over the scarred man's back.

Link suddenly found himself confronted with a harpoon, and he hooked his foot on a chair and kicked it into his hands, blocking the attacks of the wildly swinging brawler. Once the harpoon had stabbed through the seat, Link twisted the chair in his hands and wrenched the harpoon from his opponent's grasp, hitting him over the head with the butt of the weapon at the same time.

Next to him, Midna was doing well. She was, surprisingly, extremely skilled in some sort of martial art, since her arms and legs were moving through obviously practiced patterns as she fought a sailor in a bright yellow shirt. Link was only surprised because his friend had never shown off this ability before.

Her outer robe flapped and flowed around her as the Twilight Princess spun. She used the loose-fitting garment to her advantage, whipping the fabric over the sailor's head and twisting, punching the ensnared head and then twisting in the opposite direction to release him. He collapsed to the floor, and she spun to the side to avoid another swung harpoon, kicking under it.

Link was pulled back into another fight as someone threw a glass at his head, and he caught it, smashing it over the head of a passing sailor who was headed for Midna.

Yet another harpoon-wielding brawler attacked Link, and the Hero twisted just long enough to pull one of the sets of shark jaws off the wall.

The jaws seemed like they were like they were briefly back in the animal in which they had grown for a moment as Link slammed them closed on the haft of the harpoon. The still-sharp teeth neatly snapped the head off the harpoon, and Link opened the jaws again. The man pushed forward, and Link moved to snap another piece off of his opponent's weapon. The wood didn't break this time, but the teeth were solidly embedded, and Link twisted the jaws, jerking the broken harpoon out of his assailant's grasp.

He pulled it into his own hands, and twirled the harpoon briefly to build up momentum before smacking his opponent solidly on the temple with it. The man crumpled to the floor, and as Link was turning to see how Midna was doing, someone smashed a chair over his back and he went down.

He caught himself with his hands, and tensing his muscles, rolled over just as a harpoon stabbed into the floorboards where he had landed. He glanced up to see the gap-toothed sailor back for more. The man jerked the harpoon out of the floor and stabbed down again. Link rolled to the side once more, and he heard a sudden howl of pain.

Link looked up to see the scarred sailor who had threatened him with a knife clutching his foot. His gap-toothed companion looked up in surprise, and his mouth got even more gap-toothed when the scarred man punched him again.

The Hero was about to get to his feet when a rough hand grabbed him by the front of his tunic and did it for him. The bartender's bushy-bearded face filled Link's vision suddenly, and he was roughly shoved towards the exit.

Link stopped once to see where Midna was, and he was shoved again. "Get out! You and your friends aren't welcome here anymore!" The bartender opened the door of the tavern, and planted a boot on Link's back, shoving him outside.

"Sorry," Link said to the slammed door. "I didn't start it!"

"Didn't start what?"

Link turned to see Majacen standing behind him, his eyebrows raised in inquiry. "How did you get out here?" the Hero said.

The wizard chuckled. "The same way you did, Hero. I left when this gentleman told me that he had recently come in contact with some Balacruf soldiers."

He indicated a man in a shoddily maintained uniform and a few days of stubble on his face. To call him a 'gentleman' was being exceedingly polite.

The door of the tavern opened again, and several more men were thrown out. Midna leisurely strolled out behind them, tossing a silver Rupee to the bartender as he slammed the door once more.

The Twilight Princess shook her head slowly, clicking her tongue in mock disapproval. "I wonder about you sometimes." Her eyes twinkled. "You act like this perfectly polite, respectable young man, but that's the second bar fight in as many weeks you've been involved in."

Majacen chuckled behind Link. "Did he start this one, as well?"

"I didn't start either one!" Link said, exasperated. "Both of them started when someone attacked me!"

Midna's hand darted out and plucked his cap from his head. "I don't know, Link. It's got to be the hat. I'm telling you, something about this hat screams 'beat on me for wearing this' or something."

Link snatched his hat back, giving her a mock glare. "There's nothing wrong with my hat." He put it back on. "Besides, it was my ears he referred to. Apparently, he'd never seen a Hylian before."

Midna burst out laughing and punched his shoulder. "Maybe you should pull your hat over your ears, then, Mr. Hero."

Majacen cleared his throat politely. "Perhaps we should go see how the others are doing. Duncan here tells me the Balacruf soldiers are encamped just outside the city gates. Time is somewhat short for our group, and it would be wise to contact Viserys as quickly as we can so we can join forces."

The three of them headed for the city gates through the plain brown streets, their minds on their mission once again.

* * *

"Have there been any new developments?"

Erik shook his head, addressing the figure whose outline he could see in his Communication Stone. "We've arrived in Redeen. I haven't seen any of Viserys' soldiers yet, though."

"My contact says there should be a group of them camped outside the city. Viserys doesn't really think Redeen's going to be attacked, but he's got soldiers stationed at every city that's asked for his help. Their leader has a Communication Stone, and your group should be able to arrange for pickup by a warship. The _Cardinal_ is in the area on patrol, and she's pretty fast."

"Where's Viserys, at the Nimbus City base?"

Erik's fellow Sheikah shook her head. "He's on one of the larger warships on a mission right now. It's actually one you guys should be able to help him with; He's looking for the Oocca shipyards." She smiled wryly. "Well, _we're_ actually doing the looking, his troops just don't know it. All those fancy powers you say the Hero and the others have should come in handy for causing lots of destruction."

"I'll report in when I get in contact with Viserys, then."

"All right." His contact winked. "But we'll probably already know."

Erik chuckled quickly as he cut the connection. As he was putting the stone away, it buzzed again in his hand, and he acknowledged it. "Yes?"

The Hero's face appeared in the facets of the gem. "We found the soldiers. Meet us at the city gates, and be ready to go."

"Acknowledged." Erik put the stone back in his pocket and went to find the others.

Arnak was talking to a merchant selling weapons, eyeing a large war-hammer as the merchant excitedly told the big man about it. Nearby, Shad was examining something at what looked like an antiques shop, the owner set up in front of the building with a stall stacked with a wide assortment of what Erik considered junk.

Raskys was off flirting with a woman selling birds, and Colin and Zelda were watching a street performer who was juggling torches, the boy laughing every time the performer pretended to almost drop a torch, making comically exaggerated expressions of distress whenever he did so.

Erik walked up to Arnak and tapped the big man on the shoulder. "The others have found the soldiers. They said to meet them at the city gates."

Arnak nodded and moved off to get the others as Erik headed back to the inn where they had checked in a little while ago to retrieve their baggage. The innkeeper gave the Sheikah warrior a dirty look when Erik said they were checking out already, but he tossed him an extra fifty Rupees as he strode outside, everyone's bags slung over his shoulders. The innkeeper shrugged as he pocketed it.

Erik handed off the bags to their owners outside, and the Company headed off to the city gates.

* * *

Colin followed along behind the others, walking next to Princess Zelda, and wondered what this person they were going to meet was like. What was his name? Viserys, that was it. It wasn't a name Colin had ever heard before, and all the boy really knew about him was that he was fighting the same bad guys Link was fighting, so they were going to team up to try and stop them.

Plus, Raskys had said that Viserys commanded a huge fleet of ships that flew through the sky instead of sailing on water, and Colin was eager to see them. He was glad he had come with Link on this trip. He was having all kinds of adventures, seeing things he'd never seen before and going to places he'd never even heard of. The other kids would be so jealous when he got back to tell them about this, that was for sure!

They reached the city gates, and Link, Midna and Majacen were waiting for them, talking with a tall man in a neat dark-colored uniform.

Link patted Colin's shoulder as the boy walked up next to him, but kept talking to the soldier, and Colin listened.

"How many of you are there?"

"Nine," Link answered. "As I said, we've come from Hyrule, and we wish to speak to your commander."

"Have you any mages in your group? The Admiral has been looking for a mage or group of mages that destroyed a fortress over Hyrule that he recently found."

"That would be us," said Midna. "Or more specifically, me, if you're talking about the flying fortress I think."

The soldier stood even straighter, if that was possible, and looked their group over again. "I shall call for a warship immediately. _Cardinal_ is patrolling near here, and she should be able to pick you up."

There was a loud rush of air, unlike anything Colin had ever heard before, and the boy looked skyward to see what appeared to be a fantastically enormous bird swoop overhead. As Colin examined it closer, he could see it was actually a ship shaped like a bird. The boy grew excited. This must be one of the airships Raskys had told him about!

The soldier was looking up, also, and he raised a stone like the ones Link and Erik had to his lips, speaking quickly into it. The ship slowed, off in the distance by now, and gracefully turned around, gliding back toward the city.

The soldier turned back to the group. "That is _Cardinal_. It is fortunate she was flying over the city just now, I suppose. If you explain who you are to the captain, he will take you directly to the Admiral."

Link nodded to the soldier. "Thank you."

Colin was too absorbed in watching the airship to pay further attention to the conversations around him. As the ship drew closer, Colin could make out more details of the vessel, and he marveled at it. He had never seen anything like this before, and it was possibly the most incredible thing he'd seen on the journey to date.

The airship was shaped like a bird, with large, gracefully curving wings spread out beside a compact 'body', a cylinder with tapered ends, and where the feet would be on a real bird, there were two large propellers. There were several smaller propellers above and below the hull of the airship, in varying sizes. It was painted in white and light blue, to better blend in with clouds, Colin supposed, since it was a warship, meant for fighting.

The airship stopped above the city, hovering in place, and a door opened up on the underside. A smaller cylinder dropped out, much smaller than the warship, but still bigger than Colin's house, and wings extended from its sides as it sped toward them. The soldier Link had been talking to stepped more into the open and waved his arms. The smaller airship steered toward him, and gently as a falling leaf, slowly lowered to the ground.

Ropes dropped from the smaller airship, and several more soldiers ran to grab them, several men putting their weight on each rope. A door opened on the side of the airship, and a rope ladder dropped out. A man, dressed in a similar uniform to the soldiers gathered around the ship, waved his arm at them, and the Company started for the ship.

"Good luck," the soldier they had been talking to said to Link. "As I said, tell the _Cardinal_'s captain who you are, and he will take you directly to the Admiral. If you are the one who destroyed the fortress he found, perhaps this war can be over a little sooner with your help."

Link nodded gravely. "I hope so. Thank you."

The soldier nodded and moved off, gesturing to some of his men and calling out orders.

One by one, the Company ascended the ladder and stepped into the smaller airship, sitting in seats the copilot indicated. Colin looked around at the interior, and it was disappointingly dull in color, but there were windows, and the boy watched excitedly as the airship lifted off and the ground seemed to drop away beneath them.

As the smaller airship headed up to the warship _Cardinal_, Colin again thought to himself what a great adventure this was, and wondered what else would happen before he had to go home again.

* * *

Nemo awoke with a splitting headache, and snarled the most virulent curse he knew at his new master. He was in a forest somewhere, draped over a limb of a tree, and as he moved to see where he was, he slipped off the branch and fell to the ground below, snapping off weaker limbs on his way down.

The Antihero kicked the tree viciously, picking up a fallen branch and smashing it against the trunk as hard as he could. Reaching up out of instinct, Nemo was surprised to learn he was once again armed, albeit with only an ordinary steel sword. Raneses must have kept the Sword of Darkness for himself. Nemo thought another curse at the new Dark Lord.

He set off in a random direction, coming to a break in the trees after a few minutes, and he looked down to see he was on a high hill overlooking a city by the ocean. Nemo could see people moving around down below, and looked up as a loud noise passed overhead. An airship swooped toward the city, coming to a stop and releasing a smaller airship, which headed for the city gates.

Nemo looked down, and a slow smile spread over his face as he saw who was gathered down there, waiting for the airship. One of them was dressed in green, with a hat of the same color, and the Antihero felt his hand clenching at the sight of his double.

His mind whirling, Nemo realized that Link and his allies must be heading off to meet his target, Viserys.

The Antihero grinned even wider. "Hey, two birds with one stone."

He charged down the hill, keeping as hidden as he could, and when he saw the airship lifting off, Nemo scrambled into the highest branches of the nearest tree, seeing that the transport would fly right over it.

It was a bit of a stretch, but Nemo jumped as high as he could, and managed to catch hold of a bar on the underside of the transport, part of the landing gear, he thought.

As he settled in, his arms and legs wrapping around whatever he could hold onto, Nemo maintained his grin, looking up into the underside of the transport, and knowing his double was inside, unaware of him.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

Author's Note: Silverwolf05, one of the regular readers of this story, has agreed to draw some pictures based on this story, and I'm immensely grateful for this. I possess little to no talent in art, so I'm glad she agreed to put up with my directions. Some excellent pictures of Arnak and Viserys, two of the main OCs, are up, and you can see them by going to my profile and clicking on the 'Homepage' link, which takes you to my DeviantArt profile. The pictures are in the Story-related folder of my Favorites section, so go give them a look. As always, reviews are appreciated. I may not always reply to them, since I'm usually busy with life and working on the story, but it's always great to hear what someone thinks of my work.

(Revision Note: Fixed a couple errors and cleared up the wording in the bar fight scene so it's easier to read. That scene is a nod to Jackie Chan movies, by the way, with Link's creative choice of weapons and Midna's martial art. And, of course, the Star Wars reference, though that's pretty obvious. Thanks for reading!)


	24. Wizards and Scholars

Twenty-Four

Ashei kicked the metal bar as hard as she could, and succeeded only in bruising her toe again. She had been told repeatedly by her father during her training that any cell could be escaped from, and there was always a way out of any seemingly impossible situation.

_Well,_ she thought to herself, _Father was never wrong about anything else. There must be something I can do here_.

She had lost track of how long she had been stuck in this cage, since the only light came from globes of light mounted in the hall outside, and these never shut off. It had to have been several days at least, but she had no way to be sure, occupying her time with alternately sleeping to keep up her energy, and trying to escape.

Ashei mentally reviewed what she knew about the situation, repeating the details over in her head for what had to be the hundredth time.

The cell was lined with some kind of metal, with no seams or panels that could be distinguished, and the only exit was a narrow wall of metal bars that slid into the floor. The bars stretched at least three feet over her head, and were too closely spaced to try squeezing between them.

The walls were too slick to attempt climbing, and she had nothing to try and dent them with. When she had awoken, all her armor and weapons were gone, and even her shoes and belt had been taken. There was a small hole in the floor whose function was obvious, and it was much too small to squeeze though, also. Ashei had tried reaching into it once, but had felt only the pipe beneath in either direction.

The water spigot on the wall automatically shut off thirty seconds after being turned on, all water flowing into the hole in the floor. It was also made of metal, and despite Ashei's attempts to break it, it would not come off. Her plan had been to break the spigot, and ambush the guards when they came in to fix it, but that lead into the next detail.

The guards, all those feathered-men things she knew as Oocca, patrolled through her area once a day to shove a bowl of food through a gap in the bars at the floor. After a few days, she had noticed that sometimes, when she awoke, the bowls were gone. She had tried feigning sleep the next night to try and catch whoever removed them unawares, but the guard who had accompanied the scrawny, dirty human had stood over her with his blade just above her neck while the human removed the bowls.

She had also not seen any other prisoners beyond the slave, and wondered what had been done with Auru and the others. There had to be Zora aboard this fortress, also, since they had been captured helping the aquatic people defend their village.

No one ever showed up to ask questions, and there was never any contact with others beyond the occasional patrol. Ashei often wondered what the Oocca were planning to do with her and the other prisoners.

The fortress was moving, that much was certain, though Ashei had no idea where it was going. She would not give up, that she knew. She would escape from this place, and somehow get back to Hyrule to help in its defense.

* * *

"This is certainly one of the more interesting places I've found myself in my life." Majacen gestured out at the expanse of clouds before them.

Shad looked over at the wizard standing next to him. "I've never seen anything like it, either. To think, these people have gained the power to fly among the clouds. It's incredible!" The Company was gathered on the upper hull of _Cardinal_, looking out at the passing clouds as the warship sped to another of Viserys' ships, and a meeting with the Balacruf leader.

Majacen nodded. "Mortals have made great strides in the last few centuries. Life has stayed nearly the same since the beginning of history, but within the last few decades, especially, mortals have gained a greater understanding of the world around them and the laws that govern reality."

On the wizard's other side, Midna gave Majacen a curious look. "You sound like you know this from experience," she said.

Majacen smiled as he answered. "I do. I have lived long enough to see the future become history, and have done what I can to guide the mortal realm to greater harmony with itself."

Raskys, who was leaning against the hull behind them near a door, gave Majacen a suspicious look. "Just how old are you?"

"Four hundred and eighty-three years have passed since I came to this world," Majacen replied, absently fingering the hilt of his ornately engraved sword.

Shad was unable to contain his surprise; that was well beyond the normal lifespan of any mortal race he could think of except perhaps Gorons. "Four hundred and eighty-three? How is such a thing possible?"

"The Goddesses have gifted me with long life and great power in exchange for helping them to guide their creation," the wizard replied. "My task is to keep the world from descending into ignorance and barbarism, showing mortals how to discover the truth about their world whenever possible. I am also to aid those who serve the Goddesses in keeping the world in balance, and this is why I travel with your group."

"Were you Hylian originally?" Link asked, indicating the wizard's pointed ears.

Majacen nodded. "I was, and I have spent much of my life in our home country, aiding your predecessors in whatever ways I can. I have spent a century or two traveling about the rest of the world, learning what I can, but I must admit that I have not yet set foot in Calatia." He smiled at the others, his dark green eyes twinkling. "It is not often one gets to experience something new when one has lived as long as I have."

Midna gave Link a nudge with her elbow. "This little group of ours gets stranger by the minute. You'd be hard pressed to find a wider assortment of people traveling together." The Hero nodded in response.

Shad turned to the wizard. "What is it you do, exactly? If you are an emissary of the Goddesses, why do you not simply proclaim their will directly to the rulers of the world?"

Majacen folded his hands inside the loose sleeves of his robe. "The Goddesses have chosen not to interfere in the events of the mortal realm except to keep you from destroying yourselves. My role in the world is generally a passive one. I am to guide those deserving of the Goddesses' graces in the right direction, never telling them what they should know outright unless it is necessary. I am to help the mortal realm discover things for themselves, and as I said before, I am also to help maintain the balance, and aid the Chosen Ones of the gods in keeping the forces of darkness in check."

Zelda spoke next. "You said you have aided some of the Hero's predecessors. I am curious as to how, as someone of your description is not featured as an ally of the Hero in any of the legends I have read. I remember that you were once an advisor to the King, but I do not recall your name being mentioned in any capacity beyond that."

The wizard turned to the disguised princess, shrugging slightly as he smiled. "I am known by many names. I have aided many Heroes, some of them not aware I was doing so, and I have been an advisor to many a king and emperor. Some of my efforts have been relatively minor, such as helping the Sheikah warrior Impa avoid detection by the Dark Lord Ganondorf as she cared for the Princess Zelda of that time until the Hero awoke, and at other times I have prevented calamities too great for the mortals of the time to deal with." Majacen's expression darkened. "There have been nightmares unleashed upon this world the likes of which you cannot imagine, and some have been too great for even ones such as myself to repel. I am not the first emissary to have served this world."

Shad was too distracted by an earlier remark to discern the significance of what Majacen had just said. "So, you were actually an eyewitness to Ganondorf's first invasion of Hyrule?" It astounded the scholar to meet someone who had lived through events of so long ago.

Majacen patted the scholar's shoulder lightly. "Indeed I was, though I was out of the country for most of the Dark Lord's reign. There was another problem I was dealing with at the time." The wizard smiled briefly. "Hyrule has had an interesting history in the centuries I have served it. It is little wonder the Goddesses take special interest in it, as it seems to attract trouble."

Midna snorted. "You've got that right."

A crewman came up to them, his uniform impeccably maintained and his hair neatly combed. Shad thought to himself that it was somewhat ironic that the Balacruf, members of a mercenary organization, were more highly disciplined and regimented than the Hyrule Army, a supposed 'official' military. Mercenaries were often painted as being rough, greedy, unsavory characters, but the crew members he had met on the _Cardinal_ had been anything but.

The man waited patiently until he had the group's attention. "The captain wishes me to inform you that we will be rendezvousing with the _Argent Hawk_ in approximately one hour. The Admiral has been contacted, and he has told us that it is of highest priority that we bring you to him."

Link thanked the crewman, and the man saluted and went back inside. Shad noticed the odd look the crewman gave Raskys as he passed the ranger, almost as if he was trying to decide whether he recognized him or not, and wondered what it meant. Raskys continued to slouch against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the clouds.

Several crewmen had been directing similar looks at Raskys since they had boarded the warship, and when Arnak had asked him about it, the ranger had merely shrugged and said that he "must have one of those faces or something" and told them to think nothing of it.

Shad was soon distracted by the fact that the ship was increasing speed, and it flew right into a cloud. The blue sky and the distant glimpse of the ground were replaced by pure, ethereal white, and he marveled at it. The brief time he had spent in the City in the Sky over Hyrule had been exhilarating, but it was nothing compared to this.

The feeling of freedom, moving high above the ground and soaring like a bird, was one the scholar relished, and he was envious of the crew of this vessel, who must see extraordinary things all the time. This was sobered by the realization that this vessel was one meant for war and not exploration, but it was still a terribly exciting life they had among the clouds.

Shad looked forward to meeting the man in charge of this sky fleet, and wondered what sort of person he was.

* * *

Link straightened his tunic, smoothing out the wrinkles and making sure his gear was in good condition. As Midna had said before they boarded the transport to fly over to _Argent Hawk_, the man they were going to meet was in a position that demanded respect, so he should "try not to look so scruffy for once," as she had teased him, reminding him that Viserys was technically a king, though his nation-for-hire held no territories. Link had refused her offer to trim his hair, not sure if she was kidding or not, but he had at least combed some of the tangles out and polished his boots, about the only concession he was willing to make about his appearance.

Next to the Hero, Colin had his face pressed up against the window of the transport. Link looked past the boy to see the huge warship and the others of her battle group hovering in formation, awaiting their arrival. One of the soldiers had told the Company that the _Argent Hawk_ was of the same class as the flagship of the fleet, _Falcon's Pride_, and that the flagship was currently undergoing repairs from a recent battle with the Oocca Viserys had personally commanded. Link was impressed; if the commander of the entire organization was willing to fight alongside his men, he was certainly a respectable warrior.

These airships were certainly a marvel. They were markedly different from what he had seen in the City in the Sky, and he wondered how they did in battles against the gigantic flying fortresses the Oocca used. It was interesting to see the differences between the two masters of the sky.

The transport soared through the sky, and Link looked around at the others, impatient to arrive so he could meet Viserys and compare knowledge on their common enemy. Colin was still at the window, looking around, and Princess Zelda sat next to him, her expression neutral. She exuded calm and patience, and offered the Hero a small smile when she saw him looking at her.

On her other side sat Majacen, and his eyes were closed, apparently in meditation. Link was still surprised by the new information about himself the wizard had told them, but still thought there was more the old man was keeping to himself. Link didn't mind, though. The wizard had said he was helping them, and the Hero had never sensed any ill intent from the old man, so that was good enough for Link until he decided to volunteer more about himself.

Erik was standing next to the hatch, slowly twirling a dagger between his fingers, and he appeared to be just as impatient to arrive as Link. Raskys sat across the aisle from the Sheikah warrior, his hands folded over his stomach, and his eyes were closed, also, though he appeared to be dozing. Arnak sat on his other side, and was running his whetstone over his sword, polishing out the burrs and scrapes it had accumulated since the last time he had sharpened it.

Shad was, predictably, reading a book, and it appeared to be the book of Sky Writing the old woman in the Hidden Village had given Link. The Hero remembered that he had given the book to Shad after returning from his first visit to the City in the Sky, as he had no further use for it, and thought his friend might want it for his research.

Finally, Midna sat next to Link, drumming her fingers on the pommel of the Twilight Blade. Link thought back to the fight in the tavern in Redeen and the interesting style of combat she had displayed.

"Where'd you learn how to do that? What you did back in the tavern, I mean." He kept his voice low, so as not to disturb the others.

Midna smirked. "I was wondering when you were going to ask me. Jealous?" She gave him one of her patented infuriating grins before continuing. "Well, we don't really use swords in the Twilight Realm, so most of what I know about using this," she tapped the Twilight Blade at her side, "I learned from watching you. I didn't have much else to do while you were charging around all those ruins slaying monsters." She held up a slender finger. "But, as you know, most of how I fought was through my magic." The Twilight Princess grimaced momentarily. "My form during our last journey wasn't exactly suited to physical combat, so I couldn't do much beyond that."

Link nodded, and she pretended to frown at him. "What? I'm just agreeing with you," he said.

Midna raised an amused eyebrow. "Sure you were. Anyway, I figured that since I still have a ways to go on my sword work, I need some other way to defend myself. There's the possibility that I'll lose my magic again, so I've been practicing unarmed combat."

"You're really good. I've never seen anything like that."

She smiled. "Thanks. Some of it I learned from you, but most of what I know my father taught me before he died. He was adamant that I know another way to defend myself besides my magic. Father always said the Twili rely too much on magic, anyway."

One of the crewmen turned to the rear compartment and interrupted what Link was about to say. "Beginning final approach. Secure all restraints."

Midna put her hand on Link's shoulder. "Right now we'd better focus on what we're going to tell this Viserys guy. What do you suppose he knows about us already?"

Link leaned back in his seat. "Well, he must have heard of us, if he told _Cardinal_ to bring us to him as soon as possible."

Arnak leaned forward, sheathing his sword. "It is likely he knows we are the ones who destroyed the fortress that attacked Ordon. The soldier back at the city mentioned something about that."

Erik spoke up. "He's also supposed to have a wide-reaching information network that spans the territory he protects."

"That wouldn't be _your _information network, would it?" said Raskys, opening one eye.

The Sheikah warrior shrugged. "We supply him with information occasionally, just like every other major leader of the world, but he's got his own scouts."

The soldier leaned into their compartment again. "Secure for landing," he said.

The ship slowed, and Link looked out the window to see it entering a cavernous room on the _Argent Hawk_, lined in metal panels secured with rivets. There was a gentle bump, and the soldier once again turned to face them.

"You may exit the transport," he said, indicating the door. "Good luck," he added.

The Hero's Company filed out of the transport, and as they watched, it lifted off behind them, backing out of the docking bay and returning to the _Cardinal_. Colin gazed after it until Link put a hand on the boy's shoulder and gestured at the officer waiting for them.

The man's dark blue uniform jacket was slightly more decorative than those of the other soldiers standing with him, so Link assumed he was of higher rank. He was an older man, with neatly trimmed and combed gray hair, and he stood with his hands clasped behind his back as the Company made their way over to him.

He stepped forward and addressed them in perfect unaccented Hylian. "I am General Drake. You are the warriors who wish to see the Admiral?"

No one spoke for a moment, and Link realized they were waiting for _him_ to respond. He realized with an inner smile that they were called the _Hero_'s Company, so that made him the technical leader. "Yes, we are."

General Drake spoke again before the Hero continued. "Your group is from Hyrule, correct?"

"That's right."

"And you also destroyed an Oocca fortress there?"

Link nodded. "One that was attacking the village of Ordon, yes. It escaped, but it suffered severe damage."

Drake nodded. "Excellent. Follow me, then. I have been told to take you to the Admiral. He found the fortress you destroyed a few weeks ago, and has been looking for the ones who were able to do such a thing." He turned and marched for the door at the far end of the hangar, his soldiers in perfect step with him, and the Company followed. Two of the soldiers took what little baggage they had off to another part of the ship, presumably where they would be staying.

The warship was severely decorated in dark colors, black and gray and dark blue, but there were windows along the hallway they were walking through, and Link could see that _Argent Hawk_ was picking up speed by the rate of the clouds flying past. He felt nothing, and the deck beneath his feet felt as solid as if he were on the ground. Link marveled at what he saw around him. This warship was far beyond anything in Hyrule, and he wondered what other things this Mercenary King commanded.

General Drake stopped by a large set of double doors and indicated them with a wave of his hand. "The Admiral will see you now. If you will excuse me, I have other duties to attend to."

As Drake left, two of the soldiers opened the doors, and the Company entered the room, Link in the lead. It was a conference room of some kind, and was just as severe and functional as the rest of the ship. The chairs appeared to be somewhat comfortable, and there was a long window at the top of the room, but it was otherwise plain.

Standing at the far end of the long table in the center of the room was a tall man with snow-white hair, though he appeared to be only in his mid-thirties. He was dressed in the same uniform as the rest of the Balacruf soldiers they had met, but his jacket was trimmed in gold and he wore a long and wide black cloak clasped with a silver falcon's-head pin. He wore a sword at his side, and from the way he moved as he approached them, Link knew he knew how to use it. This was a man accustomed to combat, and the signs were easily recognizable to another warrior.

As he stopped in front of their group, Link noticed his striking violet eyes. The man had a powerful presence, and he emitted an air of quiet authority. Link had an odd thought in the back of his mind that it would be inappropriate to call this man anything but 'Sir.'

The man swept his piercing gaze across their group, as if scrutinizing them and assessing them for threats. He paused for a moment on someone behind Link before speaking, and the Hero wondered who it had been.

"Welcome aboard the warship _Argent Hawk_," he said. "My name is Viserys, and I am the commander of this fleet. I understand you are quite a formidable group, if what I have heard of you is true, and that you wish to join forces with me. I welcome any assistance you wish to offer."

Link nodded. "Yes, sir. We have come from Hyrule, and we seek to defeat the Oocca, who have invaded our land."

"We share a goal, then. Please, tell me your names. We will likely be working together for quite some time." Viserys gestured at the table and chairs, crossing to sit at the head of the table.

The Company settled into the other chairs, Link sitting to Viserys' right. He gestured to each person as he said their names. "I am Link, bearer of the Triforce of Courage, and this is Midna, the Twilight Princess, Arnak, the bearer of the Triforce of Power, Majacen, a wizard, Erik and Mara, two Sheikah warriors, Raskys, a ranger, and Shad, a scholar who has studied the Oocca extensively. As I said, we have come from Hyrule, and seek to use our power to defeat the Oocca, who have invaded our country."

Link was uneasy at starting out telling a lie, even a minor one, at the beginning of their alliance with Viserys. But, it had long been decided not to reveal Zelda's true identity, as it was safer if it was assumed she was simply another warrior traveling with them. He also decided not to reveal that Zelda was the third Triforce bearer, as her identity could be deduced from that information. Once they got to know Viserys better, he would tell him if it was necessary.

The Mercenary King looked around the table at the varied group again, his gaze briefly stopping on Colin, who sat next to Midna to Link's right. "What abilities does the child possess? I would think your mission too dangerous to bring one so young along."

The Hero realized with a start that he had forgotten to introduce the boy. "Colin is my… apprentice," Link answered. "I am training him." He glanced over at Colin, but the boy was gazing out of the window at the other airships visible through the glass, and was likely not listening to the adults' conversation.

Viserys' expression held the barest hint of skepticism before he looked over at the Hero again. "I am told you were able to destroy an Oocca fortress that attacked one of your villages. Please, describe to me how you were able to do so."

Midna answered from her seat next to Link. "The fortress was attacking a village in one of the southern provinces, and we went there to defend it. The buildings were almost completely destroyed, but some of Arnak's men," she gestured at the big man, who was sitting across from them to Viserys' left, "were there, and they had evacuated the villagers to a house on the outskirts that the Oocca were ignoring."

Viserys turned to Arnak. "How large is the force you command?"

The Bearer of Power straightened in his seat. "We are about thirty, though our original group was much smaller. We began as a group of men who banded together after the Oocca destroyed our villages, and we have gathered others in our journey to Hyrule. Our goals are the same as yours; defeat of the invaders."

It was at this point that Link noticed that Raskys was studiously avoiding Viserys' gaze, and was instead staring at the table in front of him, clearly uncomfortable. The Hero wondered if perhaps Raskys knew Viserys somehow, though he didn't know how that was possible.

Viserys indicated Midna with one hand. "Continue."

"When we arrived, we began attacking the fortress. Link and Raskys," she gestured at the two of them, and the ranger flinched when she did so, "shot bomb arrows at it, and I attacked it with my own magic while the others saw to the civilians. After a while, it retreated, and we didn't see it again."

The Mercenary King leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table. "I have seen your handiwork. What is your name?"

"Midna," she answered.

"Your abilities are impressive, Midna. I have never seen anything capable of the destruction you visited upon that fortress. How many of your group are mages?"

Link gestured at each person as he spoke. "Midna is, as are Erik, Majacen, and Mara. Arnak and I possess pieces of the power known as the Triforce, and these grant us many extraordinary abilities."

Viserys nodded. "I know of the Triforce." He looked around the table again. "Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"

Link gestured at the scholar. "We have learned much about our enemy, and Shad and his father studied the traces they left behind in Hyrule thousands of years ago. The Oocca were not always a warlike people, and were once in contact with Hyrule's royal family. A part of one of their cities still drifts over Hyrule, and I have been there. We have also learned that the Oocca recently experienced a change in leadership, and their new ruler is responsible for their conquest. We do not know much about him beyond that."

Majacen leaned forward. "The magic users in our group have also sensed a powerful sorcerer, and we think he is either the leader of the Oocca or someone aiding him."

Viserys nodded. "That is consistent with what I have learned. From my own discoveries, I believe there is a powerful intelligence guiding the enemy war effort. He or she is doing so through crystals that resemble enormous Communication Stones, and these crystals, when activated, control the minds of all those nearby." His expression became slightly darker. "I discovered this after I searched the fortress your group destroyed. One of my scientists brought the control crystal back aboard my ship, not knowing what it was, and your sorcerer seized the minds of my crew during the night. We were able to get the crystal off the ship, but we were immediately attacked by two more fortresses, which I was able to destroy with the aid of one of my other warships."

Viserys stood and crossed to the wall beside the double doors, where a chalkboard was mounted. He reached up to the top of the board and pulled down on a cord that hung there, revealing a detailed schematic of an Oocca flying fortress.

He tapped a spot near the top of the tallest spire on the fortress with his finger. "The crystal room is here. There is no access to it from the outside, but we have learned that if this crystal is destroyed, the enemy crew are thrown into confusion for a few moments.

"Unfortunately, this is also the most heavily shielded section of the fortresses, and requires a constant barrage from two or more warships to penetrate it before either ship is irreparably damaged by the enemy guns." He turned to face them again. "This is why I have been searching for mages, your group in particular. Magic is, by nature, unpredictable and difficult to defend against, and therefore, if one of your mages accompanies our battle groups, you can destroy the crystal with little trouble and give us a few minutes to damage the fortress enough to cripple or capture it."

The Mercenary King clasped his hands behind his back over his cloak. "I also have another mission for your group, if you wish to accept it. We know these fortresses are being built and maintained somewhere, but we have been so far unable to locate any bases. Once we do, your… unique abilities will be useful in helping my fleet to destroy them. The enemy's biggest advantage so far are these flying fortresses, and if we are able to eliminate them, we can focus on the ground assault and begin the search for their leadership. Is this something you would be willing to do?"

None of the others said anything, so Link stood. "We are willing to aid in any way we can. Our group was formed to find a way to defeat our common enemy, and we stand the best chance of success working with you."

Viserys nodded once. "Good. Now, someone will show you to-"

A sudden klaxon interrupted him, an insistent screeching that echoed through the entire vessel. An urgent voice accompanied it, issuing from a metal tube on the wall.

"_Intruder alert! Intruder alert! All hands, secure your sections! Intruder is warrior in dark clothing, armed and highly dangerous. Maximum force recommended!_"

There was a sudden loud commotion just outside the door, and as Link drew the Master Sword, he noticed it glowing much more brightly than usual.

Midna drew the Twilight Blade, and the silver glow of her weapon matched that of Link's. Their eyes met, and Midna was the one to voice their suspicions.

"It had better not be who I think it is."

There were sounds of a struggle, of blades clashing together, then a scream, a grunt of pain, and the door was kicked open.

The man who stormed into the conference room could have been Link's twin, but for his burning red eyes and dark hair and skin. "Well," he said in a voice eerily similar to the Hero's, "Fancy meeting you here."

"Nemo," Midna hissed. "Still don't have much of an imagination, I see."

"I'd love to stay and catch up, but I'm a busy man, you know. Places to go, people to kill. You know how it is." The Antihero looked around the room, absently twirling the sword in his left hand. "Ten against one, eh? That's not very fair."

Viserys had drawn his sword and held it at the ready. He glanced over at Link. "You know this creature?"

Nemo looked over at the Admiral. "Hey, I know you. You're about to die, you know that?" He suddenly lunged at Viserys, slashing.

The Mercenary King blocked the strike, and he retaliated as Link vaulted onto the conference table and sprinted toward them, the others not far behind.

Nemo and Viserys exchanged a furious series of blows, and Link was impressed with Viserys' skills. Not everyone could hold off the Antihero for very long. Link noticed Viserys' technique was a swift one-handed fencing form, more often skillfully intercepting the Antihero's overpowered slashes to turn them slightly aside than outright blocking them, thus using less energy.

The Hero leaped off the edge of the table, bringing the Master Sword down in a powerful jump attack. Nemo spun away from Viserys for a moment and brought up his sword, and Link slammed into him, knocking both of them to the floor.

Nemo brought his knee up into Link's chin, dazing him momentarily, and sprang again at Viserys, dodging the swings of the other members of the Company.

As Link got to his feet, he saw Colin, Shad, and Majacen at the far end of the room, the wizard with his sword drawn and standing in front of the boy.

Viserys again traded a series of strikes with Nemo, not missing a step as he slashed and blocked. The other warriors in the Company relentlessly attacked Nemo, but he constantly dodged, focusing solely on Viserys. The Mercenary King's agile blade leaped up to nick the Antihero's chin, meant for the creature's throat but missing as Nemo moved his head at the last moment. He sneered as he swung back with a heavy two-handed slash, which Viserys turned aside before striking back.

Arnak stepped in and managed to grab Nemo's collar. The big man hurled the Antihero across the table, causing him to smash into several chairs, and the creature cursed as he tried to struggle to his feet. Without pausing, the Bearer of Power planted a massive hand on the table and vaulted over it, coming down with his feet a bare inch from Nemo's head.

The Antihero rolled under the table, only to meet Midna, who stabbed him in the shoulder with the Twilight Blade. He shrieked in pain and moved further under the table, scrambling under it to the end nearest the door. Link blocked his way and motioned with his shield for the others to surround the table. As they did so, Nemo, desperation in his eyes, lunged out from under the table at Link, tackling him backwards into the hall.

The Hero pushed his twisted double off of him and rolled to his feet, slashing low and wide for Nemo's legs as he got up. Passing crewmen jumped out of the way as the two engaged in a heated duel in the hallway, striking at each other with furious speed.

Nemo slashed horizontally, and when Link blocked the strike with his shield and stabbed with the Master Sword, Nemo attempted to thread his sword between Link's shield and his body, stabbing under it at Link's chest. The Hero launched himself into a sudden back-flip, catching Nemo under the chin with his boot as he did so.

When he landed, Link looked up to see Arnak come flying out of nowhere to tackle the Antihero, slamming him against the wall. The big man kneed the creature in the ribs, slamming the pommel of his sword against Nemo's neck and then punching him in the jaw with his other hand.

Nemo backed up against the glass of the window and ducked Arnak's next punch, causing the big man to crack the glass with the force of his impacting fist. Arnak didn't miss a beat, however, and slashed with his sword, driving the monster back to where Zelda waited.

Her rapier dug into the Antihero's already wounded shoulder, and as he turned to slash at her in his anger, Erik grabbed Nemo's shield and wrenched it away from him, bringing it solidly down on the creature's head. His knees buckled, and as he was collapsing to the floor, Midna brought her foot around in a sweeping kick under his chin, knocking him in the opposite direction.

Link sheathed his sword, returning his shield to his back at the same time, and reached down to grab his double by the front of his black tunic. He heaved upward and slammed Nemo against the wall next to the conference room door. The Antihero grunted, his breath leaving him in a rush, and Link pulled him back, slamming him into the wall again.

"What are you doing here?" he snarled in his shadow double's face. He was tired of being attacked by this creature, and so Link was perhaps a bit more violent than he would be normally. He dimly hoped Colin was still inside the conference room and couldn't see him right now.

"I'm on a… a mission," Nemo gasped, heaving for breath.

Link slammed him against the wall again. "A mission for who? Who sent you here?"

Nemo started to answer, but suddenly shrieked in pain, his hands coming up to press against his forehead. Link immediately released him and backed a step away, surprised.

He looked over to see Arnak glaring at him. "What did you do?" the big man rumbled.

The Hero looked down at his double, writhing on the deck with his hands against his head and screaming in pain. Something told him Nemo wasn't faking this, and he was genuinely in agony.

"I-I didn't do anything to him!" Link backed away, Nemo's anguished keening ringing in his ears. "At least, I don't think I did."

Zelda came forward and extended her hand over the prisoner. "You did not cause this, Hero. There is something within him that is causing his pain, a fragment of Shadow magic."

Midna frowned down at Nemo, who was no longer screaming, but was still twitching and holding his head. "It feels almost exactly like this." She opened her hand, and the orange-and-black stone that had once enabled Link to transform into a wolf appeared over her palm.

"Ganondorf did this to him?" Link asked in surprise. "I thought he was too weak to take physical form right now."

Midna shook her head. "No, not Ganondorf. Someone similar, though." She looked over at him and sighed. "Since you don't use magic, this is hard to explain. Every powerful magic user is different, and those of us skilled enough, we can sense each other. I always know where Zelda and Majacen are, even if I can't see them, because I can sense them. Do you understand?"

Link nodded slowly, looking down again at Nemo, who was now curled into a ball on the floor. It was disconcerting to see him like this, when he had been so unpleasant and brash on every other encounter.

"Ganondorf's magic had a distinctive feel," Midna continued, "and I could sense him long before we got to the throne room when we fought him. Whoever made whatever it is that's doing this to Nemo is not Ganondorf, but is extremely similar, either a student of his or a relative."

"Relative?" Link was surprised.

Zelda nodded, looking over at her fellow princess. "I know the feeling of which you speak, Midna. We have just discovered another clue about the identity of the sorcerer we have been sensing. He or she is definitely Gerudo; I can sense that much from this."

There was a footstep behind Link, and he turned to see Viserys approaching with his sword still drawn. "What is this creature? You have encountered it before?"

The Hero nodded. "He is also from my country, and his purpose is to oppose me specifically. Other Heroes have had to deal with a similar creature in the past, but no one knows their origin." He gestured down at Nemo. "We have also just discovered that he has been pressed into service by the sorcerer controlling the Oocca."

Viserys looked suspiciously down at the Antihero, who had curled into a ball on the floor, clutching his head. "What's wrong with him?"

Midna smirked. "How long have you got for me to tell you?" At Viserys' unamused look, she continued. "If you mean why he's crumpled up on the floor, it's something to do with whatever our mysterious sorcerer did to him."

The Mercenary King sheathed his sword. "We'll put him in the brig and interrogate him later." He looked out at their group again. "I sense there is more you need to tell me about yourselves. Shall we meet again for dinner to discuss this further?"

Link nodded. "Thank you. That sounds fine."

"Very well, then. Someone will show you to your rooms. Dinner is in four hours." Viserys turned and gestured to a few of the crewmen that were standing nearby, then strode off down the hall, his black cloak swirling behind him.

Arnak stopped one of the crewmen who was lifting Nemo to his feet. "Do not trust him. Bind him securely, and keep one of these near him at all times." The big man pulled out one of the repelling gems the Gerudo had given them and handed it to the man, who nodded smartly as he accepted it.

Another of the uniformed soldiers gestured down the hall, and the Hero's Company followed him to the rooms they had been assigned aboard the warship.

* * *

A few hours later, Raskys stood by himself at the railing on the upper hull of _Argent Hawk_, near one of the archers' stations. He frowned as he looked out at the clouds passing by, the slowly setting sun lighting up the sky with streaks of color. He never thought he would find himself here again, and was still torn between wanting to stay with his new friends and wanting to jump ship at the earliest opportunity.

He heard rhythmic footsteps approach him, and knew who it was even before he turned to look. "I thought you'd come find me sooner or later."

Viserys stood behind him, the wind pulling at his cloak, and the taller man waited, his expression patient.

Raskys stood up straighter before his former commander. "I'm not part of your organization anymore. You sealed that when you didn't come looking for me."

"We sent several scouts looking for your ship. No wreckage was ever found, and it was assumed you had been killed." Viserys' tone was neutral, betraying no surprise at seeing one of his vanished soldiers again.

Raskys scoffed. "How hard did you look? There's probably still pieces of my ship all over the Gerudo Desert. I never saw one airship in the entire year I spent there. Not _one_."

Viserys clasped his hands behind his back. "They were sent, Raskys. We could not afford to assign many ships to the search because the war broke out just after you disappeared. The fleet was fighting to just to keep from being destroyed in those early months."

"I know that!" the ranger exclaimed, gesturing out at the other airships flying alongside the _Argent Hawk_. "I've spent the last three years seeing what the enemy's been doing. Frankly, I'm surprised Hyrule wasn't attacked sooner."

"Was there a reason you did not attempt to find your way back to the fleet, Raskys? Many of the men have expressed their surprise at seeing you traveling with the group from Hyrule. You have long been thought dead."

The former pilot looked away. "I was… busy."

Viserys was silent for several moments. "You do not have to explain yourself if you do not wish to at this time. But know this." The Mercenary King leaned forward slightly. "If you wish to return to duty, I will ask no questions. But, your fellow soldiers will certainly be curious. If you are to continue to aid your group from Hyrule with fighting the enemy, you will have to tell them who you are eventually." He turned and walked away, headed for a hatch nearby.

Raskys scowled out at the clouds. He had enjoyed flying airships in Viserys' fleet, but he had started a new life since the crash. He hadn't expected them to converge, and he was still conflicted.

He would have to make his decision soon, and that was certain.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to all readers and reviewers, especially the regulars. I'm always happy to hear your thoughts, whether they're commendations or criticisms. As a slight change of pace, the next chapter will be entirely from the main villain's point of view, and will go into his background and reasons for what he's doing. I like to tell stories from many different points of view, as you have no doubt noticed, and he's one of the more important characters, so we'll be checking in on him occasionally for the rest of the story. You'll have to let me know what you think, since I'm eager to see how it turns out. And finally, in case you haven't already done so, go check out the pictures of Arnak and Viserys that Silverwolf05 has posted on DeviantArt.


	25. The New Dark Lord

Twenty-Five

The Dark Lord Raneses, master sorcerer, unparalleled warrior, king of three nations, soon-to-be ruler of the world, as he thought of himself, reverently gazed upon the tiny black triangle that lay on a pedestal set into the stone floor in front of him. He had come so far, planned and schemed, worked and slaved for this moment, the moment he would take control of the ultimate power.

The Triforce of Shadow, his ancestor's creation, designed to control the Golden Power by channeling the powers of its bearers through the bearer of the Fourth Piece, was finally in his possession, his to master.

The new Dark Lord had requested that he not be disturbed until he exited this chamber, under penalty of death to any who dared interrupt the complicated procedure. It would likely take him days, but the results would be worth stepping away from orchestrating the conquest of the world.

He took a moment to savor his victory, drawing in a deep breath. Once he controlled this fourth piece of the Triforce, that indescribably powerful artifact would be under his dominion, his to use as he wished. He could remake the world in his image, throw down the very gods themselves and take their place.

The Three Bearers would be powerless against him, the one called the Hero, especially, since that one's legendary abilities were all provided to him by his piece of the Golden Power. Without it, he would be nothing more than another weak mortal. However, Raneses knew he would still have to be careful against Link, regardless. He had managed to defeat Ganondorf in single combat, a claim only one other in history could make.

As he prepared to begin the procedure, the Dark Lord's thoughts drifted to the previous holder of his title. Raneses had spent his entire life learning about his ancestor, making plans and preparations to continue the first Dark Lord's conquest. It had been interrupted by the Hero of Time, and Ganondorf had been imprisoned. Upon escaping, he had again been captured and forced into the Twilight Realm, from which he had finally escaped nearly a year ago.

The new Dark Lord had begun implementing his plans a little more than two years before that, and had been surprised to sense another incredibly powerful being suddenly emerge into this world. In between orchestrating the world conquest, Raneses had used what precious little spare time he had in attempting to discern the identity of the other entity.

By the time he had learned that it was Ganondorf, returned to the kingdom of Hyrule in an attempt to conquer it once again, it was too late. The Hero named Link had cleared the Twilight that had covered Hyrule and shortly thereafter confronted the first Dark Lord in person, ultimately defeating him.

Raneses had then begun preparations to take Hyrule in a series of lightning-fast raids, so that it would not give him the same trouble it had his ancestor. His only regret was that he had not identified his ancestor sooner, since if he had, he would have stepped in to aid him, and even the Hero would not have been able to resist the combined power of two Dark Lords.

Clearing his mind of distracting thoughts, Raneses closed his eyes and concentrated deeply, erecting numerous barriers, both mental and physical, around him and the artifact, unsure of what would happen if he made a misstep in bringing the Triforce of Shadow under his control.

He sent his focus into the artifact, reveling in the power he could feel radiating from it. Ganondorf had poured so much of his considerable power into this that the weak Hylian Sages had been able to capture him after he made it, a feat they would never have accomplished otherwise.

_Greetings._

Raneses looked up sharply, a ball of destructive energy already forming in his hand as he glanced about the tiny spherical chamber, but it faded away as he realized it was the artifact itself that had spoken to him. He hadn't been expecting that.

_Do you wish to master the power I contain?_

"Yes," he said aloud. The voice inside his mind sounded almost exactly like his own, which he realized, in turn, must be the voice of his ancestor. Ganondorf must have put a guide in the Shadow Triforce to aid in its usage.

_Why do you think yourself worthy to wield my power?_

Raneses drew himself up before the pedestal. "I have accomplished what no other in the history of this world has done; I have brought nearly the entire globe under my control. I wield powers none can hope to equal, and none can match me on the battlefield."

_None but the Master may wield my power._

"If your master is Ganondorf, he is dead. _I_ am the Dark Lord now. I am Ganondorf's heir, and all that was his now rightfully belongs to me."

_Words alone prove nothing. The truth of your claim will be examined._

Before Raneses could ask what this entailed, he felt a sharp pain inside his skull, and could feel his mental barriers straining against a powerful force.

_Do not resist._ _If you are what you claim, you will not be harmed._

Gritting his teeth against the agonizing pain in his head, Raneses slowly let his barriers drop, one by one, ready to snap them back into place the moment he detected malice. He had trained too long and too hard to be beaten in a contest of mental strength, no matter the opponent.

Without his control, he was suddenly thrust into one of his memories. As he looked around, he saw the dark stone walls of the fortress he had lived in until his fifteenth year. Grand and opulent, it sat at the top of a cliff overlooking a storm-tossed sea. The rocks for miles around were bare save for an occasional patch of moss, but the area was largely brown and gray. It was a forbidding place, and few besides those who lived there knew of its existence. It was supremely defensible, the only entrance guarded by a long, winding path manned by many towers and crossed by several walls.

_What is this place?_

"This is where I was born," Raneses told the voice, so similar to his own, "and it is where I grew to be a man."

The voice was silent, but the walls rushed toward the new Dark Lord, and he passed through them to one of the rooms at the top, with a wide, expansive window framing a spectacular view of the endless ocean below. A woman, her hair red as flame, stood before the window with a small boy who shared her features. The room was richly decorated, with several grand tapestries depicting ancient battles and some more recent. They were full of angular lines and bright colors, and were framed by many ceremonial weapons. The woman and the boy were similarly dressed in finely made clothes, though the style was still recognizable as Gerudo.

Raneses recognized the memory the Triforce of Shadow had chosen. This was the first time his mother had told him who he was and where he had come from.

As he watched, the woman told the boy a story about a man named Ganondorf, who had been born to the race of Gerudo more than a century before. He was a powerful sorcerer, and when he was crowned king of the Gerudo, he knew he could be the one to finally lead his people out of the desert and into the lush country of Hyrule.

"Ganondorf ruled the desert for several years, waiting for the right chance, and he learned whatever he could about his enemy in the meantime. The people of Hyrule had long oppressed the Gerudo, harassing them and driving them further into the desert on several occasions, defacing one of their temples and turning it into a prison, among other indignities." The woman scowled at this, and the boy continued to listen, fully attentive.

"In time, when Hyrule suffered a civil war over a powerful artifact known as the Triforce, Ganondorf knew his chance had come to provide a better home to his people. He offered the reigning king of the Hylians his aid in winning the war, and with the skills of the Gerudo, the rebels were quickly overcome. Ganondorf worked his way into the King's confidences, until he was permitted access to the castle archives, and there he researched everything he could about the Triforce." The woman gestured at one of the tapestries behind them, her bracelets jangling as she indicated the triangular symbol prominently featured there.

"He proceeded on to the next phase of his plan. Ganondorf was a very patient man, willing to make plans that could take decades to come to fruition. He knew the Triforce would make him immortal, granting him the abilities of a god, so he set about arranging events so that he could enter the Sacred Realm and take it for himself. Several years passed, and once Ganondorf had tricked two Hylians into letting him access the Sacred Realm, he laid his hands upon the Triforce.

"But something went wrong. He was only allowed to keep one piece of the Triforce, Power. In a divine prank, Courage and Wisdom went to the two Hylians Ganondorf had manipulated into aiding him." Raneses' mother's voice was full of scorn as she mentioned the Hylians, and the boy's opinion of the people who inhabited Hyrule would soon become the same, remaining that way as he became the man watching the events replaying before him.

The woman continued. "The Dark Lord, as he had crowned himself, spent seven years ruling Hyrule and searching for the other two Triforce bearers. Once the one known as the Hero awoke, it was not long before the other bearer, the Princess Zelda, began to aid him in a quest against Ganondorf.

"The two eventually confronted the Dark Lord, and instead of allowing the Gerudo to peacefully coexist with them, the so-called Hero and Princess demanded that Ganondorf give up what was rightfully his by conquest and return to the desert. They were able to defeat the Dark Lord, and with the aid of the Sages, including the traitorous Nabooru, they sealed him away." The woman scowled again before continuing. The adult Raneses nodded slowly in the background. His mother had always told him that if Nabooru had remained loyal to her king, the Hero of Time would not have succeeded in overthrowing him.

"Ganondorf's eldest daughter, my grandmother, fled the country after his defeat, bringing only the clothes on her back, as the Hylians immediately drove the other Gerudo back into the desert. She journeyed far, looking for the remnants of her father's army. He had once told her that he maintained a separate fortress and garrison in case of his defeat in Hyrule with which to rebuild his strength."

The woman gestured at the room around them, with the rich tapestries covering the dark stone walls. "This is that fortress, my son. The army had long abandoned it when your great-grandmother found it, but she remained here, knowing she was the conduit of the Blood Curse and her line would produce the heir to her father's throne. We are her descendants."

"What is the Blood Curse, Mother?" the young Raneses asked.

A frown crossed his mother's features before she answered, her eyes looking out at the endless sea below. "It is a terrible curse that was placed upon our people long ago by an unknown sorcerer, likely Hylian. Because of it, only one male Gerudo is born every hundred years. Our people are forced to look for mates outside our society until the male is born to keep our people from dying out. Gerudo blood overpowers traits from the father, and only maternal lineage is counted. That is why I have not told you of your father. He is unimportant, merely a means to an end: your birth." Raneses' mother smiled at her son, touching his cheek before continuing.

"It was long believed that the male was random, and any Gerudo could bear the future king, but Ganondorf did extensive research into the Blood Curse, looking for a way to break it, and from what he learned of the curse, only the eldest daughter of the male's line can produce the next male from among her descendants if the male does not live long enough to sire an heir. Only one of our kings was ever recorded to sire his own heir, and that was the king whose name you bear."

The young Raneses looked up at his mother while his future self looked on in the background. "So, I am the next male after Ganondorf?"

The Dark Lord knew his mother's response by heart, as it was this moment that lead to all his plans and efforts.

"You are, my son. You are Ganondorf's heir, and all that was his belongs to you when you reach manhood. It is your duty to reclaim all that was taken from our people, and it is your destiny to continue the path he started."

The scene before him faded to blackness, and the voice returned.

_You believe all that was witnessed to be true. In your mind, you are Ganondorf's heir. There is no falsehood in this._

Raneses drew himself up. "There is not. Are you convinced that I am worthy to bear your power?"

_You must also prove you are Ganondorf's heir in spirit, not only in blood. What have you accomplished that is worthy of your ancestor?_

Raneses was growing increasingly suspicious of the voice, but answered anyway. "I have expanded on what the first Dark Lord accomplished. Where he was able to conquer Hyrule, I have begun bringing the entire globe under my domination. The nations of the world are powerless against my armies, and my task will soon be complete."

_You have allied yourself with the ancient People of the Sky._

The blackness was replaced by another familiar memory: Raneses' first meeting with the Oocca known as Kyron. The Dark Lord watched as the feathered being stormed out of an ornate throne room, muttering angrily to himself. The surrounding building was full of soft colors and gentle lines, with wide, expansive windows that offered a view of the night sky, spotted with pinpricks of light and swirling with puffy clouds. It was cheerfully decorated, and Raneses' lip curled in disgust, as it had then.

The Dark Lord knew where to look, and therefore immediately spotted the tall cloaked figure standing on the balcony as Kyron stomped to the railing, clenching his fists in frustration. The Oocca did not notice the shadowy figure behind him, and stood gnashing his beak and pulling at his feathers in trembling rage until a breeze caused the figure's cloak to flap.

Kyron turned to see what had caused the noise, and gasped in surprise at the cloaked figure's glowing yellow eyes. "Who are you?" he said, one hand reaching for the short sword that hung from a sash across his feathered chest.

"I am one who may be of aid. What is it that causes you such frustration?" the shadowy figure asked.

Kyron answered truthfully, unaware he was already being manipulated through the Dark Lord's power to not feel suspicion. "None of the others will recognize our heritage. They are content to float among the clouds, wasting their lives, instead of reclaiming what was once rightfully ours."

"And what was once rightfully yours?" Raneses asked. His future self looked on, silently wishing the voice, whatever it was, would be satisfied with this and would not waste any more of his time.

The Oocca grinned arrogantly, as much as was possible for one with a beak. "The entire world. Thousands of years ago, my ancestors ruled the globe from their floating cities, instead of merely watching and observing the land-dwellers. They are all fools! We should rule them once more. We are the superior beings; we should make them serve _us_."

"Why do you not do so?"

Kyron again sighed angrily. "The elders do not agree with me. They hold all the power, and I am merely the commander of what little military we still maintain. My opinion does not matter." He scowled.

"How many are above you in the hierarchy?" the cloaked Dark Lord asked. Kyron rattled off a list of a dozen or so names, and the figure nodded slowly. "And if they were eliminated, you would be the leader of your people?"

The Oocca nodded, the high plume of feathers on his head bobbing with the movement. He peered at the cloaked figure, as if trying to see under the enshrouding hood. "Why do you ask?"

The glow from the cloaked man's yellow eyes increased. "If I were to arrange events so that you become the ruler of your people, would you honor an agreement with me?"

Kyron nodded eagerly. "Anything you ask of me, I will do in return for this."

_Fool._ Raneses had thought it then and he thought it again now.

The scene shifted again, to Kyron's coronation. Hundreds of the bird people were gathered in the opulent throne room, lining the walls and steps, perched on various pillars and decorations. They wore no clothes, but their brightly colored feathers were more than sufficient decoration. Oocca of every color of the spectrum made it seem as if a vast shifting rainbow was packed into the hall, so closely were they gathered together.

One of the bird people, his feathers white as new-fallen snow, placed a bejeweled crown on Kyron's feathered head, and stepped away as the new ruler flared out his wings, stepping into a spot where four beams of sunlight intersected by means of hidden mirrors. The new Oocca ruler seemed to be set aglow, and even Raneses had to admit it looked impressive, even if it was cheap theatrics. Kyron began to speak, first saying what an honor it was to be the leader of such a grand nation.

The idiot had been unable to memorize what Raneses had prepared, so the Dark Lord had been forced to hide behind the throne and directly project the words into Kyron's mind.

The irony of his hiding place had occurred to him then, and now, Raneses felt distinct amusement, some of which was not his own. Deep in the part of his mind he still had blocked off, the Dark Lord grew increasingly suspicious of the supposed guide within his ancestor's creation. A mere guide should not possess enough intelligence to feel amusement.

The new Oocca ruler spoke to his people, outlining his intention to re-conquer the world and bring it under their rulership once again. It was a stirring speech, but it also helped that Raneses was subtly influencing the minds of the crowd to make them more responsive to what Kyron was saying.

Again because of Raneses' power, none of the gathered bird people voiced any objection that Kyron was now the supreme ruler of the sky beings. Raneses had been swift in his elimination of the Oocca leadership, and though most had been arranged to look like accidents or natural causes, a few of the deaths had been unavoidably suspicious. His tremendous mental powers made up for this, and the sky people were universally accepting of the change in leadership.

Once again, the scene shifted to another memory. Gigantic flying fortresses were berthed, side by side, in an enormous floating city, the base and shipyards from which Raneses directed the Oocca invasion. It had been converted from an existing city, and the bright colors and round shapes of the buildings were somewhat incongruous with the sharp, twisted lines of the fortresses, which Raneses had designed personally.

Below, clouds drifted lazily around the city, floating above the thousands of workers that swarmed over the fortresses in various stages of construction. Most were slaves, captives from cities the ground army had destroyed in lightning raids in the opening months of the war.

_How did you assemble such an army? _

The voice seemed aware of his surface thoughts, and Raneses took note of this in the part of his mind he still had sealed off.

The Dark Lord looked down at the city as he answered, unconsciously mimicking the pose of his past self, visible a few feet away, shrouded in his black cloak. They stood on the edge of an immense platform, framed by four identical pillars, one at each corner of the platform. They were ordinarily used in airship docking, but were currently empty, the gigantic, gas-filled balloons floating in a few places around the city. They were similar in design to what the mercenaries commanded by the man named Viserys had used before their redesign into the newer warships, and had been the inspiration for the original airships, the design having remained the same over the centuries since the Oocca took to the sky.

"I located the remnants of Ganondorf's army, some of whom were still banded together after almost a century. Others I forced into service, and yet more offered their services once I contacted them."

Again without warning, the scene shifted to show Raneses in his cloak approaching a castle deep in a mountain range, alone. The castle was made of dark stone, and was heavily fortified, projecting a forbidding presence. Soldiers in full plate armor could be seen patrolling the high walls and manning the towers.

The cloaked Dark Lord boldly approached the main gate, and an alarm was raised. More of the armored soldiers rushed to the wall above the gate, aiming crossbows and two cannons at Raneses' past self.

"Who goes there?" a deep, growling voice boomed down.

The cloaked figure looked up at the guards and gestured with one gloved hand. The gate flew open and the armored warriors scattered like leaves in a strong breeze, falling from their post.

Several challenged the Dark Lord, and the cloaked figure drew a broadsword from beneath its cloak, matching the attackers stroke for stroke. The armored warriors stood nearly as tall as Raneses, heavily armed, but none lasted longer than a second or two before he knocked them aside.

_You located the hidden fortress of the warriors the Hylians call Darknuts._

"Indeed I did. They once served my ancestor, and I knew they would be great assets in my own conquest."

Before him, Raneses watched himself smash through the Darknuts' defenses like the fearsome warriors were mere children, striding boldly through the castle. It was sparsely decorated, save for row upon row of weapons lining the walls leading to the throne hall. Many suits of armor lined the entrance, also, and several of these stepped out and attacked Raneses, the Darknuts being indistinguishable from the empty suits, so still were they standing. The Dark Lord knocked them aside with crushing force, not slowing for a second as he strode to the end of the hall and opened the doors to the throne room.

A huge man, nearly matching Raneses' own height, sat on an ornately decorated throne, carved from the same dark stone as the rest of the castle. He was completely encased in a suit of richly decorated plate armor, the helmet resembling a crown. Two dozen Darknuts stood around the long hall, and as one turned to face the intruder, raising their weapons.

The seated man did not rise as Raneses entered the room, and made no move other than to lay his massive greatsword across his knees. "Who are you?" he boomed in an extremely deep voice.

Raneses reached up and lowered his hood. "I am one whom you should respect."

The Darknut ruler slowly stood and walked down the steps of his throne, his armor clanking with the movement. "You think breaking into my home and fighting my men earns you my respect?" He laughed derisively, the sound echoing off the walls. "You may be skilled enough to enter this inner sanctum, but you are arrogant to assume I will kneel before you merely because you wear the face of a long-dead warlord."

Raneses stood straighter, holding his broadsword loosely at his side. "I am Ganondorf's heir. You swore an oath to serve my ancestor, and I have come to hold you to it. What was his now belongs to me, and that includes your loyalty."

The Darknut ruler walked slowly toward the Dark Lord as he responded. "Ganondorf had to earn our loyalty, and you will do the same."

With a fierce yell, the Darknut ruler raised his greatsword over his head and charged at Raneses, his long cloak flaring out behind him.

The Dark Lord sidestepped the Darknut's charge and lashed out with his broadsword, slashing a large piece out of the ruler's cloak. Enraged, the ruler spun and brought his greatsword around, both hands on his enormous weapon.

Raneses blocked the powerful strike, twisting to the side and slashing for his opponent's legs. His strike was also blocked, and the two gigantic men traded a series of blows, sparks flashing as their blades repeatedly collided with jarring force.

The rest of the armored warriors in the hall stood silently, their laws forbidding them to interfere in this ritual combat. They would serve the victor with unquestioned loyalty, as the strongest warrior was their king. If someone bested the king, he was automatically the new king.

Raneses remembered this as he watched the duel, recalling when he had fought it, also. The Darknut ruler had been one of his more difficult opponents, simply because of the massive brute strength he had at his command, not to mention the fact that he was also a master swordsman.

The Darknut ruler battered Raneses back, pressing the Dark Lord toward the entrance. Raneses refused to give an inch of ground, and with a sudden burst of speed, he again sidestepped the ruler's advance, slashing at his back. His opponent spun and brought up his weapon, and the two locked swords.

The Dark Lord and the Darknut ruler pressed forward, both straining to overcome the other. The ruler was incredibly strong, but so was Raneses, who was not using his powers to enhance his abilities in this fight. He was using only his own natural strength, a condition he had set upon himself for this duel. They stood locked for several minutes, neither managing to press the other back.

Slowly, Raneses flexed his arms, his boots planted wide, and his blade began to inch forward. The Darknut ruler redoubled his efforts, a deep grunt of effort sounding within his helmet as he strained. The Dark Lord continued to press him back, and finally, with a last push, he shoved the Darknut backwards, knocking him to the floor.

The Darknut ruler left his sword where it lay and got to his knees, bowing his head. Raneses had proved he was stronger than the king, and so had fulfilled the conditions of the ritual combat, which did not necessitate death. The rest of the armored warriors in the hall dropped to one knee, also.

"We will serve you as we did Ganondorf," the ruler said. "We are yours to command, and you are now our king."

_An impressive feat_.

All faded to blackness again, and Raneses was alone with the voice once more.

"I have recruited many more creatures into my service. Many of them offered their soldiers, and others, too mindless to do so, I have brought under my control," the new Dark Lord told the voice. He was quickly growing impatient with needing to offer proof of his power.

_You command vast power, Raneses, both from myriad soldiers and from the arcane arts you have mastered. You are worthy to wield the power housed in the Triforce of Shadow._

There was a brief sharp pain, and a sudden flow of raw power surged through Raneses, like a raging river pouring into the Dark Lord. He cried out, half in pain and half in triumph as the dark forces contained in Ganondorf's creation swirled within him. He felt his already impressive abilities greatly strengthen in potency, and he became aware that he had lifted off the floor of his private chamber, black lightning crackling within the barriers he had set up around himself.

Eagerly, he searched for the bearers of the Triforce, to seize their power for himself, but he was unable to locate them. Anger and puzzlement flared within the Dark Lord, and the voice spoke to him once again.

_You have just unlocked the first level of power contained within the Triforce of Shadow. The full extent of its power is not yet available to you, for it will take time to master. Continue with your conquest, and I will guide you along the way. Soon, you will be able to channel the Golden Power through this fourth piece, and nothing can stand in your way once you do._

Raneses dispelled the barriers around him with a gesture, and looked down at his right hand. It now bore an upside-down Triforce marking, the central triangle formed by the original three pieces a solid black while the others remained outlines.

He had hoped to master all of the power of his ancestor's creation at once, but this did not significantly set back his timetable. Conquering the kingdoms of the world through the Oocca and his soldiers would have to suffice for now, until he unlocked the full potential of the Triforce of Shadow.

The Dark Lord smiled slowly as he looked at the marking. He knew the voice that had been speaking to him was not a mere guide now. There was only one possibility as to the voice's identity. "I look forward to working with you, honored ancestor," he said aloud.

A man that could have been his twin appeared before Raneses' eyes, dressed in dark plate armor edged in gold and framed by a long cloak, a golden crown worked into his flame-red hair, connected by thin golden chains to his forehead jewel. The other man stood at an equal height to Raneses, meeting his eyes with pride in his own.

The other man had a slight transparency to his features, and smiled broadly, a fierce glint in his eye. "I should have expected no less from one who has the right to carry on my legacy." The apparition's voice was the same one Raneses had been having his silent conversation with, identical to his own, but slightly more gravelly, sounding older than the new Dark Lord.

Raneses inclined his head slightly in a show of respect to the previous holder of his title, awed to actually meet him. "How are you here, honored ancestor? I had thought that you had been defeated, though I would have offered my assistance had I known you had returned to life."

Ganondorf scowled briefly. "It is true that the one known as Link managed to best me. I underestimated him, a mistake I will not make again. I had thought to overpower him in single combat so that I could seize his Triforce, but like his predecessor, he showed hidden strength in our confrontation and took advantage of my weak spot." He indicated a glowing white wound in the center of his chest. "I intend to eradicate those accursed Sages if ever I get the chance." His voice was full of derision and fury, but Ganondorf calmed as he looked over at his descendant.

"The Triforce of Power preserved my spirit, though that piece of the Golden Power has since passed to another. When the Hero burned my body, I was forced to wander the realms, searching for a way to return to life so that I could pursue my revenge and continue my plans." The Dark Lord smiled. "It was during this time I became aware of you, Raneses. It was not until today that I learned you were my heir, the next male by way of the Blood Curse, but I have been aware of your power for a long time. Your abilities are impressive, considering you did not possess a piece of the Triforce."

Raneses looked down at the marking on his hand. "So, you housed yourself in your creation?"

Ganondorf nodded. "I had kept it in the Twilight Realm for safekeeping, though I have since learned that the half-wit I used to further my plans attempted to use it himself, and it apparently drove him insane. It remained there until the creature known as the Antihero disobeyed my orders and journeyed to Midna's kingdom, also attempting to take my creation for his own use. I was unaware of this at the time, and when he vanished from my perceptions, I assumed Link had defeated him, as had the Hero of Time.

"I later sensed your invasion of Hyrule, and had gone to the dungeons of the castle, searching for the portal there that lead to the Twilight Realm, knowing the battle would throw the Hylians into confusion. There I was confronted by the new bearer of the Triforce of Power, and when I attempted to take it back from him, the other two Bearers appeared and confronted me, also. I was not yet strong enough to overcome them, and so I left.

"Once the Antihero began attempting to use my creation, I housed myself in it to prevent the creature from using it, and have since been attempting to keep my creation out of the hands of the Three Bearers, though the fool insisted on repeatedly confronting them. " Ganondorf stopped to look over at his successor, and met his eyes, his expression serious. "If you are to succeed in your plans, you must learn to never underestimate a Triforce Bearer. They can be unimaginably powerful once they learn to unlock their true potential, and this is enhanced if all three Bearers work together as one. Do you understand?"

Raneses nodded. "I have thought long on how to deal with the bearers of the Golden Power. Upon locating some of your writings, I decided the best way would be through your creation."

Ganondorf smiled, a surprisingly genuine expression. "It seems you have inherited my intellect as well as my face. You have already learned the valuable lesson that lesser beings are merely tools to be used by those of true power, to be discarded once their usefulness has expired."

Raneses again nodded. It seemed that the new Dark Lord and the old shared a similar mindset. "Yes, honored ancestor. Some cultures are best manipulated by using their leaders as figureheads through which to control them. Others will respond best to a direct takeover, and yet others are best suited to remaining unaware anything has changed, either through manipulation or disinformation."

"Indeed." Ganondorf gestured at his descendant. "What are your current plans? You do have an overarching plan for your entire invasion, do you not? Including contingencies for any possible defeats?"

"I do," Raneses replied. "The takeover is proceeding uninterrupted in all parts of the world except Hyrule and Calatia. The kingdom of Calatia has so far managed to repulse many of my attacks, and is among the last of the free territories. Likewise, Hyrule is still not fully under my control, though the capital is taken. There are pockets of resistance that still attempt to oppose my forces, though I have captured all of the Zora and am in the process of finding a weakness I can use against the Gorons. The Hylians have mostly disappeared, and I have ordered my soldiers in Hyrule to search for their hiding place."

Ganondorf crossed his arms, frowning thoughtfully. "The Gorons feed on stone. If you block off their food supply, you can starve them into submission, as I once tried to do. I used a dragon, though the Hero of Time was able to slay it. You must eliminate them quickly, as they could prove troublesome in the future." The first Dark Lord was thoughtful for a long moment. "It is impressive that you have orchestrated an invasion of this magnitude by yourself for this long, but you will need my assistance for the final push. The most difficult part will be the final elimination of all resistance. Who opposes you at this time?"

Raneses walked about the edge of the tiny spherical chamber as he replied. "The only significant threats to my plans are the Hero and his companions and a large mercenary organization that opposes the Oocca sky fleet. I have recruited the Antihero to eliminate the mercenary leadership, and I had planned to deal with the Hero personally once I mastered the Triforce of Shadow."

"A good plan," Ganondorf said, "but I would advise against trusting such an important part of your plan to the Antihero. This latest incarnation has shown himself to be capricious and untrustworthy, acting more in his own interest than any who would command him."

Raneses grinned, a savage predator's smile. "I have taken steps to ensure the creature's loyalty."

Ganondorf must still have been able to discern his descendant's surface thoughts, as an identical grin spread across the first Dark Lord's features. "Pain is often a superb motivator when no other tactics have proven successful."

"I have found that to be true in the course of my preparations," the new Dark Lord said. He looked over at his ancestor. "So, what is the next step in mastering your creation? I wish to advance my plans as soon as possible."

Ganondorf crossed his arms again, seeming to look past the walls of the meditation chamber to the outside world. "Patience. As I said before, it will take time to master my fourth piece. Controlling something as powerful as the Triforce will be complicated, and must be done by degrees. Your takeover is proceeding smoothly enough that we will be able to continue with it until we unlock the final parts of the Triforce of Shadow. Then, your armies will not matter, as you will be powerful enough to continue by yourself."

He turned to look at Raneses. "I will continue to advise you as you progress. Because I inhabit your Triforce, I will be able to see and hear all that you do, and will offer my counsel whenever it is needed."

The new Dark Lord bowed slightly before the apparition of the old. "I welcome whatever assistance you choose to provide, honored ancestor. Together, I am sure none can oppose us."

Ganondorf nodded and slowly faded out of sight.

Raneses opened the door of his meditation chamber and strode out into the same room he had seen in the memory of his mother's story, gazing out at the storm-tossed ocean below. He smiled again. With his ancestor's approval and assistance, his long years of planning would come to fruition that much sooner.

The time to remain in the shadows was coming to an end.

* * *

Author's Note: The plot thickens... I'm going to leave you on that note for a little while to finish up my other story, 'Hero's Origin', as I've only got a couple chapters to go on that one. Also, Silverwolf05 has posted a picture of Dark Link(aka Nemo or the Antihero in this story) so go check that out. Till next chapter!

(Revision Note: For those of you reading this for the first time, this is roughly the halfway point of the story, plot-wise at least. From here onward, the battles get bigger, the plot gets thicker, and the pace gets faster until the action-packed conclusion. Enjoy the ride!)


	26. Coming Together

Twenty-Six

Ivan ducked as a Bulblin came soaring over his head to smash against the rock wall behind him. The Goron who had thrown the monster slammed his rocky fist into the breastplate of a Darknut, knocking the armored warrior back into another of the rock-men. The two Gorons smashed the monster between each other for a few moments, and the first Goron grabbed the armored warrior's arm and slung him into a group of Lizalfos that were charging past.

Darbus, the patriarch of the Goron tribe, and the rest of his fellows were covering the retreat from Kakariko Village. The group of Hyrule Soldiers that had taken up residence in the village after the siege of Castle Town were escorting the villagers out, and Ivan and his men were making sure none fell behind. It would fall to them to ensure they weren't followed, as it had been decided that all attempts would be made to avoid drawing attention to the Kokiri Forest. The Deku Tree had said that his protection was enough to prevent any he did not wish from entering the sacred forest, but Ivan and the others did not want to test this against the army massing outside Castle Town.

Ivan tripped a Lizalfos with his axe, slashing into the creature as it came down, and waved away the thick black smoke it became once defeated. None of the other monsters he and his group had fought in their journey here had done this, and he was still attempting to figure out what made these creatures different.

Nearby, a Darknut slashed at a Goron with its massive greatsword, and the weapon broke over the rock-man's back. The Goron retaliated with a fist to the warrior's helmet, and it collapsed backward, exploding into smoke as it hit the ground.

The village was empty of civilians, and now all Ivan needed to do was hold the southern gate long enough for the villagers to get to Faron Woods. The Hyrule soldiers had split into three groups, aided by a few Gorons, and had said they would station themselves at the critical points on the way, making sure no monsters learned where the civilians were fleeing to.

The grizzled warrior smashed a Bulblin over the head with the flat of his double-bladed axe, next blocking a strike from one of its compatriots with the handle of his weapon, and then swept it around in a powerful two-handed slash. Both creatures disappeared.

One of the other men Ivan had brought with him to scout fought beside him, but the Gorons were keeping the invaders well occupied. At a momentary break in the combat, Ivan watched in amazement as one of the giant rock-men jumped off of a building, rolling himself into a ball as he crashed into a group of Lizalfos, and obliterated the enemies completely.

Ivan felt his Communication Stone buzz, but first had to dispatch another Lizalfos with a solid strike to the head before answering.

"Yes?"

"We've reached the forest," the man he had sent with the civilians replied, "and there's been no sign of any monsters."

"Good. We'll be joining you shortly." Ivan cut the connection and put the stone back in his pocket.

Darbus smashed his way through the battle to where Ivan was, and the Goron patriarch stopped next to the warrior, grabbing a passing Bulblin in one huge hand and hurling back in the direction it had come from.

Ivan looked up at the giant rock-man. "One of my men just called me. He says that the villagers have made it safely to Faron Woods, so we can try to end the battle now."

Darbus nodded, bringing a stony fist crashing down on a Lizalfos without even looking. "We cannot hold this village against these invaders forever, little human. Even the might of the Gorons will not be able to stop an army of the size you described if more come here. We will let them have the village, and we will seal off our own, retreating into our tunnels for now." The massive Goron kicked away a Bulblin, and the creature flew shrieking into the far side of the rocky canyon Kakariko occupied. "Now is not the time to make our assault on the army, little human. We will wait for the Hero to return before we take that step."

Ivan agreed, and he waved his thanks to Darbus as the gigantic rock-man took up the defense of the south gate. He and the other man from the group formerly commanded by Arnak left the village, and Ivan looked back over his shoulder to see the Gorons slowly beginning to retreat, decimating the enemy numbers as they did so.

As he and the other man locked the gate behind them in an attempt to slow the enemy down further, Ivan reflected that it was a good thing the Gorons were fighting on their side, since the rock-men displayed terrifying strength against their enemies.

Today was not the day to begin sweeping the invaders from this land, but when that day came, Ivan looked forward to fighting beside the Gorons once again.

* * *

To someone long used to fantastic arrays of food, artfully prepared, the meal the ship's cook set before the Hero's Company was bland-looking at best. But, from the way the others, especially Link, hungrily eyed the food, Zelda knew it must seem an unbelievable feast to them.

The meal was nothing extraordinary, but undoubtedly highly nutritious, typical of military rations. As she looked around, Zelda could see that their food was slightly better than that being eaten by the rest of the crew in the sparsely decorated, functional-looking mess hall, but that was because they sat at the admiral's table.

Hyrule's ruler sat to Viserys' left, the Hero at his right, and both were listening as they ate while Viserys described a floating city of the Oocca he had encountered just before the war started in earnest. He and Link had been comparing notes on Oocca technology throughout the course of the meal, the gaps in their respective knowledge of their enemy being filled in with what the two warriors had discovered.

As Zelda listened to the conversation, she considered Viserys, the Mercenary King. From what she knew already about the man, tales of the nation-for-hire having reached even as far as Hyrule, he was technically her equal, as he was legally the ruler of a nation, even if that nation held no territories. But, he was closer to Link in terms of his mind-set. The Hero was a very tactical thinker, and a natural leader, even if his experience was so far limited to mostly adventuring by himself and only recently traveling with a larger group.

Viserys was clearly an experienced commander, and most of his mannerisms and personality indicated that he was used to being in charge, even if he had so far treated Link as an equal commander as opposed to a subordinate.

Link was now relating his battle with a dragon atop the City in the Sky's highest point, with Midna occasionally filling in details, and Zelda was privately amused despite herself. The Hero spoke of the fight without embellishment, as if unaware he had done anything extraordinary, anything anyone else who was reasonably in shape and could use a sword could do. One could easily become boastful and arrogant after living a life such as Link's, but he kept an endearing modesty about him, a quality Zelda found refreshing in a swordsman.

Viserys' expression was one of polite interest, and he nodded slowly as Link's tale drew to a close. "I have seen dragons from afar in my travels, but I have never seen one up close. Most keep to the upper atmosphere, and do not bother my airships."

Midna took a bite of her food before answering. "Well, this one had been corrupted by a piece of the Mirror of Twilight, and was probably a lot more aggressive than he would have been normally. Things from my world tend to have that effect on creatures in this one."

The Mercenary King looked around the table. "Hyrule has certainly has its share of hardships. I might wonder why that particular kingdom attracts so many intent on conquering it, if not for what I know of your Triforce. The most interesting piece, to me, is Wisdom, as from what I have heard of it, it shapes its bearer to be uniquely suited to ruling such a troubled land."

Viserys looked pointedly at Zelda as he spoke, and she instantly knew he had deduced her identity despite her disguise as merely another warrior traveling with the Hero. She had half expected him to, anyway, but it was still a bit of a surprise, and she could see Link tense up across from her, his eyes meeting hers.

Zelda responded carefully, unsure if Viserys was irritated at having been deceived. "The Princess Zelda has had to shoulder many responsibilities, and from what I know, the Triforce of Wisdom is a great aid to her."

The Mercenary King again nodded slowly, his expression silently conveying to her that he understood their reason for not revealing Zelda's identity. Zelda knew this mostly from what she could read of his emotions through her Triforce, and she sensed no irritation from the man.

Across from her, Link had visibly relaxed. Next to her, Arnak set down his fork and looked over at Viserys.

"What sort of missions did you have in mind for our group?" the big man said, wiping the crumbs out of his beard with a napkin.

"As I said earlier, I have several tasks in mind for a group such as yours. Individuals of such great power can be of use in several places in the war effort." Viserys looked up at them, his expression thoughtful. "Your group is not averse to being split up, is it?"

Link swallowed his bite and looked over at the rest of the Company. "I suppose we could, if we have to. What did you have in mind?"

Viserys sat up a little straighter in his seat. "The mages in your group would be useful to the air fleet in confrontations with the flying fortresses, as magic would be able to cut through their defenses more easily than our cannons. The skilled warriors, such as yourself and Arnak, would be instrumental in turning the tide of sieges and other ground efforts." He gestured at Shad, who sat at the far end of the table on Link's side. "As we currently have no one who can read the Oocca language, your scholar here would be extremely useful in deciphering the writing on what we've captured from the enemy."

Shad perked up, leaning forward. "What do you have so far?"

"Not much," Viserys replied. "We have a few artifacts salvaged from the fortress we briefly captured, and two prisoners awaiting interrogation." He interlaced his fingers, resting his hands on the table. "You would mostly be working with my scientists, attempting to reverse-engineer some of the devices we've captured, in an attempt to devise a defense against some of their weapons."

One of Viserys' soldiers approached, a sheet of paper in his hand, and he waited until his commander had finished speaking before handing it to him. "This just came in, sir."

Viserys accepted it. "Thank you." He turned to the Company. "If you will excuse me for a moment?" He looked down at the paper and began to read it.

Zelda looked over at Link. "If we are to be split up, we should decide now who must remain with which group. It would be best for the Triforce Bearers to stay together, as advised by the Deku Tree. If the effect observed in the fight against the Antihero in Ganondorf's pyramid is any indication, the powers of those chosen by the gods work best when used in conjunction."

Majacen set his fork aside. "I do not have a problem with working by myself. I have done so for nearly five centuries, after all."

Midna frowned briefly. "Since I'm one of our group's magic users, I suppose I'll be helping the air fleet destroy those ugly fortress things." She gestured over at Colin, who was sitting between herself and Link. "I don't mean to be rude here, but what are we going to do with the kid?"

Link looked over at her. "What do you mean?"

The Twilight Princess sighed quietly. "We're going to be involved in some heavy fighting soon, Link. It's probably too dangerous for him."

"He's done all right so far," Link answered. Zelda sensed irritation in the Hero that he did not show outwardly.

Midna frowned again. "Think about it, Link. We haven't been in anything more serious than a bar fight since we left the Gerudo Desert. These people we're fighting aren't fooling around, and they won't spare him in a battle just because he's a kid."

"I told his parents I would watch out for Colin, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Don't underestimate him." Link was definitely getting more irritated now.

Zelda sensed Colin's confusion, and she knew the boy was worried about whether he was going to be sent home or not.

At a flash of surprise and then annoyance from Viserys, Zelda looked over at him. He looked up from the paper he had been handed and leaned forward in his chair.

"If I may have your attention, please?" he said. When the members of the Company were looking at him, he continued. "It seems an opportunity has presented itself for you to demonstrate your skills. The enemy has been massing an army in a region known as the Blue Forest, near the capital of Calatia, Belakar City, and I have just received word that they have begun marching on the capital, with clear intent to assault it. The Emperor has requested my aid in repulsing the attack, and I in turn ask that you help direct the defense."

Link frowned thoughtfully. "Does it say what the army's made up of?"

Viserys consulted the message. "Preliminary reports indicate the army is approximately eight thousand strong, and made up of units of various monstrous creatures such as Lizalfos, Bulblins, Moblins, and a large contingent of Iron Knights, which I believe you call Darknuts."

An alarm interrupted whatever else Viserys had been about to say, and the soldiers in the mess hall scrambled to attention, awaiting the message following the alarm.

"_Alert! Enemy warship detected! All hands to battle stations, officers to the bridge!"_

Viserys stood. "If you would accompany me to the bridge, please? I have a feeling we may have need of your talents in this encounter."

Erik volunteered to go to their room and fetch their weapons, and Shad offered to go with him and stay with Colin during the battle. The others followed Viserys to the bridge.

* * *

Ashei had lost track of how long she had been in her cell now. It could have been merely a few days, and it could have been a month. She occupied herself with making plans for escape, watching the movements of the guards and timing their patrols as best she could. As far as she had been able to figure out, the guards patrolled through her cell block twice a day, once to shove the food bowl through the bars, and again twelve hours later. Every third day, the slave she had seen came with the guards to collect the bowls, pulling along a cart loaded with similar items.

The monotony was interrupted one day by a visit from an Oocca guard four hours early for a patrol. He stopped and smacked the bars of her cell with his sword, eliciting a loud clang, and when she looked up, he gestured for her to approach.

"What do you know about the fish people you were captured with?" he said, his voice high and thin. He was rather ordinary-looking, with brown feathers on his body, topped by a plume of white ones on his head like hair on a human.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Something's wrong with them," the guard replied. "We think they're sick, and we've been commanded to find out why. The commander wants them alive, so we're asking the humans captured with them about them. Do you know or what?"

Ashei put on an expression of deep thought, though this was more for the guard's benefit than anything else. It could be possible to turn this into a way to escape, as this guard was both bored and not too bright, a bad combination for a guard but excellent for her.

"I'm not too sure. There's a lot of reasons why a Zora could be sick, yeah? Maybe if you took me to see them, I could tell you more." Ashei made sure to keep her expression as innocent as possible, trying not to give the guard any reason to suspect her.

He reached into a compartment on his belt and his hand came out holding a pair of handcuffs. Ashei stepped back, away from the door, her hands held together, completely unresisting. She kept a lock-pick braided into her hair for just this purpose, and once she had overpowered the guard, she could free the rest of the prisoners and then try to find out what was going on.

The guard locked the handcuffs around her wrists and gestured out with his sword. They set off down the corridor, and as she walked, Ashei made sure to be as non-threatening as she could as she surreptitiously examined her surroundings.

The corridor was a long row of cells just like hers, and to her surprise, none were occupied. The hallway was cavernous, the ceiling stretching far over their heads. She momentarily wondered what the possible purpose of this could be before she remembered her captors could fly.

They came to a door, and the guard kept his sword pointed at her as he opened it, motioning her through once he did. Another long corridor stretched in front of them, but the cells were filled with dozens of Zora, most lying on the floor and breathing shallowly. She spotted Auru in one of the cells, but he gave her only a casual look, nodding slightly, and doing this again once she repeated his motion, using signals they had worked out long ago.

The guard, who was still the only Oocca Ashei saw in the corridor, grabbed her shoulder with one long-fingered hand and shoved her over to one of the cells containing a Zora.

"Well? What's wrong with it?" he said, his tone still bored.

Ashei knelt down to look closer at the aquatic being, instantly knowing what was wrong. She looked up at the guard and told him. "Zoras need to stay wet, yeah? If they spend too long out of the water, their skin dries out and they get sick. You don't have a big tank of water anywhere on this thing, do you?"

The guard was thoughtful for a second before replying. "Well, there's the reservoir we use for drinking water. That's pretty big."

_Idiot,_ Ashei thought. It was probably why he was on guard duty down here in the cell blocks. Reaching up as though to scratch her head, Ashei fished the lock-pick out of her hair and set to work, keeping her hands out of sight and pretending to further examine the Zora.

It really did look sick, and this worried Ashei. Ruse for escaping or not, she had been concerned about the aquatic people, and her first priority upon escaping would be to see that she found this water tank the guard had mentioned and get them to it.

There were several loud explosions, and suddenly, the flying fortress rocked sharply, throwing Ashei against the bars of the Zora's cell. The guard stumbled, also, and she seized the opportunity this provided, swinging her leg around to knock his feet out from under him.

His head slammed against the wall, and Ashei quickly kicked his sword away from his hands, searching for the keys on his belt. Once she had retrieved them, she locked her handcuffs on his arms and removed his belt, tossing it after the sword. She now had limited time, and had to take advantage of the confusion the explosion had caused.

As she ran to Auru's cell to unlock it, another explosion rattled the fortress and she stumbled. She jammed the key into the lock on Auru's cell and quickly turned it.

She and Auru dragged the guard into the cell the older man had just vacated and locked it, still wondering why more guards hadn't shown up.

Four enormous explosions in quick succession rocked the flying fortress, and with a terrible metallic groaning, something broke loose far above them and crashed downward, eliciting several deep clangs on the way before breaking off.

"I believe this fortress is under attack," Auru said, picking himself up off the floor.

"Come on, we'll use the confusion to escape. You know where the others are?" Ashei began unlocking the cells of the Zoras, though few moved once she did so.

Auru nodded. "I believe our first priority after liberating our fellow warriors should be to find where the Oocca left our possessions. I do not wish to leave this place without the Staff of Lightning, as we must get it to Link as soon as we can."

The two of them moved off through the shuddering fortress, intent on their goals.

* * *

Raskys watched from his vantage point at the base of _Argent Hawk_'s command platform as Viserys directed the battle with the Oocca fortress.

_Argent Hawk_ and the others in her battle group swooped around and around the gigantic flying fortress, pumping barrage after barrage into the twisted spires of the enemy vessel, dodging the return fire whenever possible and absorbing it with the capital ship's heavy armor whenever not.

One of the advance ships of the battle group had spotted the fortress and relayed the sighting to the commander of _Argent Hawk_, who had consulted Viserys, and the two of them decided to attack rather than avoid the Oocca fortress.

The former Balacruf soldier watched as his fellows rushed about obeying the Admiral's orders, with their crisply pressed uniforms and impeccable discipline, remembering a time when he had been one of them.

Was he one still? Viserys had told him he was welcome to return to the service at any time, but he would have to explain to his companions in the Hero's Company who he was, something he had avoided thus far.

His eyes were drawn to an explosion on the enemy vessel, and one of the other vessels launched a tracer of bright red paint, splashing it across what had been identified as the place where the crystals through which the Oocca were controlled were kept. The _Argent Hawk_ and the other ships in her group concentrated fire on that point, one of the most heavily armored spots of the fortresses, he had been told.

The other members of the Hero's Company were gathered near Raskys on the bridge, and a few feet away, Link and Midna were conferring in hushed tones with Arnak and Zelda.

Raskys himself was tense, though he tried not to show it outwardly. He was torn between remaining with his companions or rejoining his comrades among the Balacruf. He hadn't flown an airship in three years, but he was one of the best pilots ever trained to operate the flying vessels employed by Viserys' organization. He was also and excellent archer and swordsman, and Raskys found himself uncertain to which group he could be of more use.

Link and the others finished their discussion, and Link climbed a few of the steps on the command platform, calling for Viserys' attention.

"What is it?" The Mercenary King asked, not taking his eyes off the battle.

"My companions and I would like to go to the fortress and attempt to disable it from the inside. Are you trying to capture or destroy this fortress?" Link asked.

Viserys glanced down at the Hero. "I would prefer to capture it for study, though if we destroy it, it is one less vessel for the enemy to make use of. Your plan is approved. Go to the hangar bay and inform one of the pilots there what you are doing." His piercing violet eyes flicked to Raskys, and the ranger understood his meaning.

Another announcement was relayed throughout the ship: _"Alert! Enemy troops inbound! Archers, to your stations, all hands prepare to repel boarders!_"

Link returned to the others. "I think a small team is best. Me and Midna should be able to handle this. Majacen and Erik, you two stay here and attack the fortress with magic. Try to focus on the enemy cannons. Arnak, I'd like you and Raskys to stay here also and help repel boarders." The Hero turned to Zelda. "Can you watch Nemo, to make sure he doesn't try to escape during the confusion? We don't want him getting away before he answers some questions about his master."

The disguised princess nodded and immediately left with Majacen and Erik. Arnak moved to leave, also, and gestured to Raskys to follow him, but the ranger held up a hand, motioning the Hero and the Twilight Princess over, also.

"If you're going to try and take a ship over there, you're going to need a good pilot. I think it's time I explained something to you."

Link gestured at the door. "Explain on the way to the hangar. We don't have much time."

The four of them jogged to the hangar, and Raskys spoke as he ran. "I was a pilot in Viserys' army until my airship crashed in the Gerudo Desert three years ago. I was a good one, too, and you'll need me if you're going to fly a ship over there."

The Hero had pulled a pair of shoulder pads out from somewhere and had been buckling them on as he jogged. He stopped at the hangar door.

Link tapped his thumb against one of the shoulder pads. "I was planning to use the Icarus Wings, and Midna can fly, so we weren't going to use a ship." He adjusted one of the buckles on his baldric, tightening it. "I'm glad to know that, though. Maybe you can tell us more after the battle."

Raskys nodded, and Link and Midna entered the hangar. Arnak frowned down at him from where he stood, his burly arms crossed over his chest.

"Why did you not tell me this when we met?" the big man said.

Raskys sighed. "Not now, big guy. I'll tell you guys all about it after the battle, okay?"

Arnak's frown deepened, then vanished entirely. "Very well. Come, let us go to the upper deck."

The two warriors followed a group of archers out to the upper deck, preparing to aid in the defense of the warship.

* * *

"I liked the way you took charge there, Mr. Hero. You better watch that kind of thing, or else Zelda will try to make you a general in the army when we get back to Hyrule."

Link glanced over at his friend as they flew, not wanting to spare any of his concentration for a reply. He had only used the Icarus Wings once before, and was trying to maintain his control as they dodged bombs, shrapnel, and Oocca flying over to attack the _Argent Hawk_ or one of the other ships in her group.

Midna, however, seemed impatient at his rate of progress across the sky, and was hovering next to him, her arms behind her head as she made as if she were reclining in a comfortable chair rather than speeding across thin air to an enemy-infested fortress. With her long robe flapping behind her from the speed of her flight, she presented a comical image.

The Hero had to smile at his friend's behavior. The two of them swooped through a cloud to avoid a passing group of Oocca, since Link wasn't comfortable enough with his control over the Icarus Wings to attempt combat while flying. He silently chided himself for not practicing with them more since Bo had given them to him, and resolved to devote at least half an hour to flying practice each day from now on until it became second nature. With the nature of their enemy, it was likely he would be using the Icarus Wings fairly often.

The wind rushed over Link's face and rippled his clothes as they flew toward the fortress. Despite the situation, Link reveled in the feeling of flight. Riding on an airship was one thing; this was something altogether different.

Midna winked at him, having seen his grin. "It's fun, isn't it? Maybe when you get better, we can race!"

Link gave her a good-natured exasperated glare. Of all the things to be thinking about at a time like this…

He rolled to the side to avoid a bomb launched by one of the Balacruf ships, and he darted out a hand to point at the top of the tallest spire on the fortress. Midna nodded, and they headed for it.

Midna sped up a little, until she was close to the spire, and, briefly charging a ball of magic in her hand, launched it. The wall of the spire blew inwards, and the two of them drew their weapons as they landed, looking around.

Several Oocca rushed them at once, and the Hero and the Twilight Princess dispatched them quickly, noting that the creatures exploded into black smoke upon their defeat. Link remembered that this meant they were being controlled by someone wielding the shadow arts, and made finding the crystal his priority.

There was a pause in the combat, and Link looked around at the room they were in. It was a long hallway, dark in color and undecorated. It was coldly functional, with no thought whatsoever given to aesthetics.

Midna gestured at a large set of double doors with the Twilight Blade. "I think that's the control room, if I remember that schematic Viserys showed us right." She smirked. "You want to smash it open, or should I?"

Link chuckled. "I'll do it."

He reached into one of his bomb bags and armed a bomb, holding it briefly and then hurling it at the doors. It exploded on contact, and Link sent another in after it before drawing the Master Sword once more and charging into the room.

His second bomb had destroyed several Oocca, from the unnatural smoke wafting through the room, and had wrecked a console covered with dials and switches, which was partially melted and giving off sparks occasionally.

More of the feathered creatures attacked, and Link jumped up onto another console to avoid their charge. He slashed at one from behind, and it crashed into two others, screeching before vanishing into more of the black smoke.

Midna fought beside him, twirling her blade artfully in time with her movements, using her other hand and feet as much as her sword, and occasionally letting loose with a blast of magic.

"Link!" she called, pointing to an Oocca with a blue sash around its body. It had a hand poised over one of the consoles, and it looked up at them at Midna's shout.

Link sprang into action, running for the commander. Viserys had told him that the commanders of the fortresses often destroyed their vessel rather than let it fall into enemy hands, and the Hero instantly knew that this one was trying to do the same.

As he ran, he knew he would not be able to get to the console before the Oocca finished activating the device, so he hurled the Master Sword at the creature. The sacred blade flew straight and true, and the commander vanished in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, the Master Sword was sticking out of the bulkhead behind it.

As the Hero retrieved his weapon, Midna finished off the last of the Oocca still in the control room and came over to him.

She waved at the banks of controls. "I don't know anything about this stuff. What should we do, blow it up and hope for the best?"

Link shook his head. "No, Viserys said he wants this for study. We should seal this room off and then finish off the rest of the Oocca here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Gossip Stone, calling Erik.

"Yes?" came the Sheikah's voice out of the stone.

"This is Link. Tell Viserys we've captured the control room and are moving through the rest of the fortress now. We're going to find the crystal and destroy it next, so tell him to stop firing on that area if he hasn't breached the armor there yet."

"Understood." Erik cut the connection from his end.

Link gripped the stone in a different way, concentrating on Zelda's Gossip Stone. She had explained to him how these worked once, but Link had either not understood the more technical parts of the explanation or forgotten them by now, his mind too busy with other things to remember the intricacies of magical devices. Magic had never been his forte, anyway.

"How can I help you, Hero?" the princess said. He could dimly see her face in the facets of the stone.

"What's the prisoner doing?" he asked. Midna leaned over the stone, also.

"He is still unconscious. It appears that our enemy knows he is aboard this vessel, as several Oocca have made their way here, attempting to free him. Arnak has joined me, and he has blocked off the entrance to the brig."

"What is your progress?" the big man's voice asked.

"We've captured the control room, and we're going to move on through the other parts of the fortress now," said Link. "If you want to come over here and help us, we'd appreciate it."

"It's a big fortress," Midna added. "There's bound to be a lot of these things, and we need to get rid of them quickly before they decide to blow it up on us."

"Understood," said Arnak. "I will find Erik, and he and Raskys will accompany me, along with some soldiers."

"Erik should be on the bridge," Midna said. "We called him right before you."

"I'll be right there," Arnak replied. They heard heavy footsteps drawing away through the stone.

"Good luck, Link," said Zelda.

"You, too." Link cut the connection and put the stone in his pocket again.

As he did so, their attention was drawn to the door to the control room, through which they could hear screeching, accompanied by metal clashing and a few very human grunts and shouts.

The Hero and the Twilight Princess exchanged puzzled looks. Arnak couldn't possibly have gotten over here this quickly.

Who else was here?

* * *

Author's Note: Chapter 27 is almost finished, and will be up tomorrow or the day after. I kept going after I finished this chapter, as I intended for it to be a little longer, but it ended up too long so I split it into two parts and expanded a few of the scenes. Thanks to all who review.

(Revision Note: The usual; fixed some awkward wording and corrected a few grammar errors.)


	27. Moving Apart

Twenty-Seven

Once Ashei had found the other four human warriors, she and Auru agreed to split up. She and two of the warriors would go for the control room, and Auru and the other two would find the water reservoir and get the Zora to it.

Auru suggested finding a way to signal whoever was attacking the fortress, as they could elicit their help in learning where they were. The fortress had been flying long enough that they could be anywhere in the world by now, by Auru's estimate of their speed.

Their weapons, as it turned out, had been stored just outside the cell block in a small storeroom. Ashei was suspicious, as things were going rather too well for them so far, but she decided to take advantage however she could. Once they had re-armed, the groups went their separate ways, wishing the others luck.

Ashei, Kraytos, and Eddard made their way upwards, reasoning that the control room would be near the top of the flying fortress where it would have maximum visibility. This was confirmed by a wall-mounted schematic Ashei found. Though she could not read the notations, she was able to figure out that the control room was at the top of the fortress, or at least, she thought so.

The three of them charged through the stark hallways of the fortress, fighting anything that got in their way, and after about fifteen or twenty minutes, they reached the top of the fortress.

There was an explosion in the corridor beyond them, and once the three warriors dispatched the Oocca that had attacked them, they moved on. Ashei saw that there was a gaping hole in the wall of the corridor ahead and stopped to look out.

She saw several gigantic aircraft swooping around the Oocca fortress, with sleek, angled lines like a bird of prey. A few guns on the fortress were still functional and were firing back, though the gunners on the bird-shaped craft were rapidly picking off the Oocca cannons.

Ashei saw one of the smaller ships, pouring smoke from several places and flying erratically, head toward the largest of the mysterious airships, which was roughly twice the size of a seagoing galleon, -though it was hard to tell scale from this vantage point- and enter a cavernous bay in its side.

She wondered who these people were, but decided to accept the sudden good fortune and make the most of it. Pulling herself away, Ashei gestured toward the open double doors at the far end of the corridor. They looked like they had been blasted open, and she wondered if the same shot that had made the hole in the wall had done this, too.

With a fierce, angry screech, several Oocca swooped through the hole in the wall and came at them. Ashei dodged out of the way, her sword leaping out to catch the creature across one of its wings.

Kraytos and Eddard engaged the other creatures, trading blows with fierce intensity. The clang of their weapons crashing together echoed through the hallway, punctuated by grunts and yells of effort from the warriors and screeching from the bird-creatures.

Within the space of a minute, they had dispatched their foes. Eddard raised his sword and charged, yelling, into the control room, Kraytos a step behind him.

Ashei followed, and nearly ran into both men when they stopped abruptly. She pushed them aside, curious to see what had provoked such a reaction.

In front of her stood two of the last people she would have expected to see in a place like this: the Hero, Link, and the Twili woman Midna she had been introduced to back in the Kokiri Forest what seemed like ages ago.

Ashei stared at the pair for a moment, her surprise giving way to amusement. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you're here, yeah?" she said. "You have a habit of turning up wherever there's trouble. Come to rescue us, have you?"

The Twili smirked, her ruby eyes twinkling. "It looks like you didn't need our help for that."

The Hero waved Ashei and the others forward. "Come on, we can use your help." He shook his head, looking equally as surprised as Ashei at this turn of events. "After we're done, it looks like we all have quite a bit to talk about."

He stopped for a moment, looking at the floor and periodically stomping his boot down and listening.

Ashei looked at him while he did this, wondering what he was doing. When he was willing to volunteer them, Link's stories of his adventures were usually very interesting, and she looked forward to the explanation of how he had come to be here. The last Ashei had seen of him, Link had been setting off with a group of warriors he had collected from somewhere on a quest to find a way to defeat the Oocca. From the extensive damage to this fortress, as well as the mysterious airships swooping around outside, it appeared he was making considerable progress.

Link stopped and knelt down in one place, tapping the pommel of his sword against the floor and rapping it with his knuckles, eliciting a hollow sound, as if there was an empty space below the floor.

He motioned them to gather around. "Okay, you guys need to know a few things, and when I'm done, there's some things I want to know. Is that all right?"

"Go ahead," Ashei replied.

"Arnak is on his way over here with a group of soldiers, and he's going to help us get rid of the rest of the enemy soldiers. I have no idea how many there are in here, so we could be here a while. Our first objective is to find a room with a large crystal in it, since our new allies have found out that the Oocca are controlled though this, and if we destroy it, they'll be thrown into confusion." Link tapped the floor with his knuckles again. "We think the crystal room is right below the control room, so we're going there next."

He looked around at them. "How did you guys get here?"

"I'll be brief, since we've all got stuff to do, yeah?" Ashei quickly explained to Link that she, Auru, and most of the Zora had been captured in the Zora Village by this fortress on their way back from the mansion deep in the Snowpeak Mountains. "And keep an eye out for Auru," she added, "since he's got something you might find useful. We found some interesting stuff up there."

The Hero nodded. "Let's get that crystal, then. Midna, if you would?"

The Twili woman waved them aside, sheathing her sword. As she did so, Ashei noticed its striking similarity to the Master Sword. No doubt there was an interesting explanation behind that, as well.

Midna held her hands together a couple feet off the floor, her long robe pooling around her as she knelt, and as Ashei watched, she formed a ball of magic between her hands, blue-green in color, and drew her hands apart until it was about two feet across. She slowly lowered the ball, and as it passed through the floor, it left a hole. The Twili woman jumped through it, closely followed by Link and the others.

When Ashei looked around, Midna's magic ball was floating a few feet away, casting an eerie blue-green light through the otherwise oppressively dark chamber. The only thing in the room was a pillar topped with a large crystal, and as the light reflected through it, it cast weird shadows on the walls and the group of warriors.

Link strode purposefully over to the crystal and drew the Master Sword, holding it in both hands. He drew it back and touched it once to the crystal, preparing for a powerful swing.

As soon as the sacred blade met the crystal, there was a sharp discharge of energy and the Hero was thrown back, electric bolts dancing across his body.

* * *

Deep inside his fortress, within an otherwise bare stone chamber, the Dark Lord Raneses regarded his control crystal with amusement. His ancestor had manifested himself and stood on the crystal's other side, watching.

"What is it?" Ganondorf said.

"It is working exactly as I planned, honored ancestor," Raneses replied. "If this succeeds, the Hero and his allies will trouble me no more."

Ganondorf peered into the crystal, his arms crossed over his armored chest. "This is the fortress with which you captured the Zoras?"

Raneses nodded. "The same. It is close to destruction, and the mercenary leader Viserys is onboard the command ship of the group attacking it. My servant was able to see that much before he got himself captured. Soon, I will use another of my servants to ignite the explosive charges lining the hull, and once it goes off, it will eliminate my strongest opposers in one stroke."

The first Dark Lord's apparition smiled slightly. "Let us hope so."

* * *

"Link!" Midna rushed to his side, checking him to see if he was all right. The blond-haired warrior Ashei had introduced as Kraytos moved next to her and examined Link quickly. Midna remembered being told once that Kraytos was a medic, back in the Kokiri Forest sometime a few weeks ago when they were all exchanging stories after meeting.

"He's fine; just stunned is all," Kraytos said.

Even as he spoke, Link groaned and sat up. "What was that?" he said, holding a hand to his head.

Midna gestured at the crystal. "It shocked you when you touched it."

Link frowned, sheathing the Master Sword and taking a few steps toward the crystal. "So, can't touch it to destroy it, eh? What do you think, guys?" He turned to look at Ashei and the others when they did not respond. "Guys?"

Midna looked up as well. The three humans were standing perfectly motionless, as if frozen. "What's going on?" she said, standing up to walk over to them.

Moving so suddenly Midna did not have time to react, Ashei's armored fist shot out and connected with her chin, knocking her backwards.

As she struggled to her feet, Midna heard Link draw his sword. Next, she heard two more sounds just like it, and looked over to see Kraytos and Eddard advancing on Link with their swords drawn, moving in perfect unison.

A hand reached down and grabbed a fistful of Midna's robe, and she barely had time for a startled "Hey!" before Ashei slammed her into the wall of the chamber.

"It's the mind control!" Link shouted. "Destroy the crystal!"

Midna grunted as Ashei kneed her in the abdomen. "Easier said than done, Mr. Hero," she muttered, rolling away from Ashei's next grab.

She was rewarded with a boot to the back of the head from someone, and Midna dropped to the floor once again. As she rolled over, the Master Sword suddenly appeared in front of her face, and for an instant, Midna feared Link had become controlled, also, but in the next moment, a sword clanged off the sacred blade, clearly meant for her head.

Link forced the wielder of the sword, Kraytos, back with a kick and a sweep with his shield. Midna was briefly treated to the sight of Link holding off all three controlled humans at once, moving with the speed and agility he had demonstrated so many times on their first journey together.

This fight was all the more artful, as Link moved and twisted to avoid being hit, but also to avoid injuring his opponents, something that took a great deal more restraint and self-control than just dispatching them with brutal force.

Midna watched for a moment, entranced by the spectacle, before remembering that he was holding them off by himself for a reason. She charged a blast of magic between her hands and loosed it at the crystal in the center of the room. She hissed a curse under her breath when it was merely absorbed by the glowing and humming crystal.

Remembering Viserys' account about how he had gotten rid of a similar crystal, Midna turned and quickly scanned the walls of the chamber, looking for anywhere the Balacruf ships had been about to breach the thick armor around this room. Spotting one area, she loosed a blast of magic at it and made a huge hole, letting the fading sunlight stream inside. She realized distantly that the sun was setting, but her distraction was only momentary. When Link ducked under the swings of his controlled opponents in front of her, she moved for the crystal.

"Link, bombs!" she called.

Without missing a beat, the Hero reached back and tossed her one of his bomb bags. Midna extracted four of the explosives, and, without lighting them, affixed them to the pillar just below the crystal.

Next, she drew deeply on her power and sent out an invisible hold to grab the pillar just below the bombs. She wrenched it out of the floor and sent it hurtling through the hole she had created, lighting the fuses of the bombs with another small blast of magic. With a final push, the Twilight Princess sent the crystal soaring out of the fortress and followed its arc with her eyes, grinning in satisfaction as it exploded into a thousand shards.

Ashei and the others instantly stopped, looking around confusedly and lowering their weapons. Link sheathed his sword and leaned against the wall, sighing in relief.

Midna lay back against the floor, breathing heavily from the effort. She was again reminded that she possessed only two of the Fused Shadows, and thus her power had been effectively halved. She resolved to ask Nemo what he had done with the other two, beating it out of him if necessary.

But, for now, she would allow herself a small break for her accomplishment.

* * *

Raneses jerked back from his control crystal, grunting as he absorbed the feedback from the crystal aboard the fortress being destroyed. He scowled at his control crystal, now smoking slightly, and his scowl deepened as he heard Ganondorf chuckling. He resisted the urge to disrespectfully ask the first Dark Lord just what was so amusing, but did not lessen his scowl as he looked up at his ancestor's apparition.

"You have just learned, Raneses, that even the best-laid plans are no match for the astonishing good luck of the Heroes." Ganondorf's expression turned serious. "It is a lesson I learned at a great price. No, it is better to strike at those around the Hero, and thus distract him with his concern. If we find one whom this Link deeply cares about, and threaten to kill them, we can force him to face you on your terms."

The first Dark Lord's apparition began to pace, his face thoughtful. "While we look for our hostage, you should proceed with the invasion as scheduled. I believe you are next assaulting the capital of Calatia?"

Raneses nodded. "Calatia is one of the last major kingdoms not under my control. Once I have conquered it, I can concentrate on solidifying my power and crushing any remaining pockets of resistance."

Ganondorf stopped and looked over at his descendant. "A good plan. I suggest an additional course of action. Do you have any lieutenants you trust enough to take full control of the Calatian campaign?"

"The former Darknut ruler, Toras, has been my general for the ground assault on that continent. He has proved himself an experienced and competent commander. Another of his kind named Jotun has been commanding the campaign in Hyrule," said Raneses.

"Good," Ganondorf replied. "With Kyron learning how to control these crystals, you can step away from the invasion for a short time to go on a mission of great importance: locating the refugees of Hyrule, among whom will be a suitable hostage. I suspect they are hiding in the southern forest, and if I am correct, they are under the protection of an entity known as the Deku Tree. Few are capable of breaching the barriers surrounding the forest he protects, as the Deku Tree is immensely powerful and anyone who does not match or exceed his power cannot enter the woods without his permission."

Raneses stood. "I assume I am one of the few individuals who can?"

The first Dark Lord nodded. "The others are the Triforce Bearers, if they have unlocked their full potential. My Shadow Triforce has multiplied your powers enough that you should be able to breach the barrier without too much difficulty."

Raneses inclined his head, showing polite acknowledgment. "I thank you for your counsel, honored ancestor."

Ganondorf nodded once and faded away, going back into the Triforce of Shadow.

Once he had, Raneses scowled again, dark thoughts swirling in the inner fortress of his mind, sealed off from anyone but himself. His plan, as soon as he realized which of the warships was assaulting the flying fortress, had been rapidly assembled in the hopes of sparing himself later trouble from the one known as the Hero. It should have succeeded, but, as his ancestor had said, there was no accounting for Link's astonishing good luck.

That was the only explanation for how a goat rancher from a tiny mountain village had managed to almost single-handedly topple the carefully laid plans of the most powerful sorcerer in the world, with legions of monsters at his command, and who, by all rights, should have killed Link within seconds in their duel.

Yes, Ganondorf was right. If he could get the Hero away from his allies, Raneses could force Link to face him on his own terms. His problem, he realized, was the same one that had lead to his ancestor's downfall: overconfidence. The Hero was apparently blessed by the Goddesses, and it would take a plan a good deal more complicated than the one that had just failed to overcome this advantage. His mind whirled, adding and expanding on his ancestor's plans.

The Dark Lord Raneses strode out of the chamber, beginning his preparations to go to Hyrule.

* * *

Bringing the rest of the flying fortress under their control was relatively easy from there. Once the control crystal had been destroyed, almost all of the remaining Oocca had fled, and the rest had quickly been defeated by Link and his group or the soldiers that boarded the fortress with Arnak.

On the way back to the _Argent Hawk_, Link discussed the battle with Midna and Ashei, the two of them explaining to her and the other two warriors that had been controlled what had happened to them.

"It's a good thing I was able to hold you guys off without striking back. It'd be pretty hard to explain to a puff of smoke." Link chuckled.

Midna looked at him and smirked. "Stick with what you know, Mr. Hero. That's not how that crystal works."

"What do you mean?" Link asked, puzzled.

The Twilight Princess thought for a moment. "Well, it's sort of complicated, but you've got it wrong. Things only turn into that black smoke if they've been strongly tainted with shadow magic. Most of the time, this is so they're more easily controlled by whatever sorcerer is commanding them. If they have that shadow taint, the sorcerer doesn't have to directly control the creature all the time, just give them general commands and otherwise let it think for itself. It's extremely hard to do, so only the most powerful magic users are able to do it, like Ganondorf, my ancestors, and whoever is commanding the Oocca. The smoke is from the shadow taint being released, which most of the time destroys the body." Midna gestured at Ashei. "That crystal just controls the mind. Otherwise, it doesn't do anything to whatever it's controlling."

"Huh," Link said, glancing out the window. "Guess I was wrong. All that mystical stuff goes right over my head, anyway. If it's physical, I can understand it fine, but when you get into all that 'controlling and manipulating energy' business, I don't really get it."

Ashei nodded. "Same here."

Midna shrugged. "It's not for everybody. Most of the time, at least in my experience, you have to have been learning about magic since early childhood to get any good with it, anyway." She winked at Link. "Unless, of course, you've got a third of the most powerful artifact in the world."

Link leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. "I'll stick to swords and arrows, thanks. If I need magic, I've got you."

He felt a hand on his arm, and the Hero opened one eye to see Midna smiling at him.

"Thanks, Link."

"It's true, you know." He yawned. "Now, if you don't mind, it's been a long day and I'm very tired, as I'm sure the rest of us ordinary mortals are."

Midna chuckled. "Go ahead and sleep while you can, Mr. Hero. It's going to be another long day tomorrow."

* * *

The next day, after everyone was rested and refreshed, the Hero's Company, Auru, and Ashei met with Viserys in the conference room aboard _Argent Hawk_, bringing each other up to speed on all that had happened.

Auru had brought a long, highly polished wooden box along, and set it on the table in front of him. As he and Ashei explained what they had found in the mansion on Snowpeak, and the general situation in Hyrule, Zelda noticed that Link's expression grew determined and almost angry. This was matched by what she felt through her Triforce, and when he finally spoke, Hyrule's Princess had already anticipated what he was going to say.

"I'm going back to Hyrule."

Midna turned to him, her face betraying her surprise. "What? Do you know how far we are from Hyrule right now? It'd take you a month to get there and back here if you went. What do you hope to do there?"

Link looked down at the table, his hands slowly clenching into fists. "I'm the Hero. Protecting Hyrule is my first duty, and I haven't done that. I've let it fall, and that means I've failed. I have to drive the Oocca out of Hyrule first."

Arnak shook his head. "No, you have to defeat their leader. He is the greater threat. Our enemy does not just seek to dominate your home country, but the entire world. Anywhere you can be useful in stopping them is where you must be."

"If I might offer a suggestion?" Auru said, laying his hand on the box he had brought. When he had the group's attention, he continued. "I recommend that Link return to Hyrule, but only briefly. The people of Hyrule are safe in the Kokiri Forest, and it is they whom you are bound to protect, not their homes. From what we saw on our way to Snowpeak, the enemy is not interested in destroying Hyrule but ruling it, so they have left the country intact. As Arnak said, you are needed anywhere you are useful, and from what you and Viserys have said, that is here in Calatia."

Auru opened the box, revealing a metal staff about five feet long, capped with a golden ball at one end and inscribed all over with swirling jagged lines. Zelda leaned in for a closer look, realizing what this must be from an account she had once read in the Chronicles of the Heroes in the castle archives.

"This," said Auru, "is the Staff of Lightning, an object of power borne by one of your predecessors in the Goddesses' service. If what I have heard of it is true, it allows its bearer to control the element of lightning, and is capable of great destructive power. I had thought this would be useful to you, and so I brought it along. The rest of what we found in the cache beneath Snowpeak Manor remains there.

"I propose that you return to Hyrule to fetch whatever else you may find useful from the manor, and also to make contact with the refugees in the Kokiri Forest. Tell them what you have been doing, and scout the country out for yourself on your way there. I fear there is nothing you can do for the Golden Kingdom at this time, but the knowledge would be useful for when you return to drive the invaders out."

Link nodded slowly. He turned to the Twilight Princess sitting next to him. "Can you make one of the warp portals we used yourself?"

Midna frowned thoughtfully. "Sure. Since I don't have that curse on me anymore, I should be able to do it without too much trouble, even if I only have two Fused Shadows. It'll kind of be stretching the range to make one here from which we can warp to Hyrule, but I think I can do it."

Link leaned back in his chair. "That takes care of the travel time. Now, where should we make the portal?"

Viserys spoke up. "I would suggest you make your portal in or near Belakar City, as it will shortly be assaulted by the enemy. Your group will be needed in that battle."

Link looked around the table at the others. "I'm going to do this by myself. It should only take me a few days, and the rest of you can help Viserys prepare for the battle." He turned to Viserys. "Do we have that long?"

The Mercenary King consulted one of the papers he had on the table in front of him. "We have perhaps a week before the army reaches the city from their encampment in the Blue Forest. The forest itself is thick, and goes almost all the way up to the city, so we are forced to let them march instead of bombing them out with the air fleet. Scouts have been relaying their progress, but it is only an estimate. They could be at the city in as little as four days."

"We'd better hurry, then," said Midna. She turned to Link, nudging his shoulder. "That means no charging into Castle Town as soon as we get there, Mr. Impressive Hero. Even you can't defeat a whole army by yourself." She smirked. "Well, maybe if I'm with you."

Majacen spoke up. "I hate to interrupt, but what are we going to do with Colin? The boy should not experience a battle the likes of which we are going to have at the capital this early in life. I believe we should return the boy to his family now, before we put him in any further danger."

Midna's face became serious, also. "He's right, Link. It was nice having Colin along this far, but like Majacen said, he's too young to be involved in the kind of fighting we're going to be doing for probably the rest of the war."

The Hero sighed, nodding resignedly. "You're right. I should be the one to tell him, since he looks up to me. We'll take him with us when we go back to Hyrule."

Zelda met Link's eyes, knowing what she had to do. "I should go with you if you are returning to Hyrule. If you are going to meet with the refugees, they will need to see me as well."

Arnak looked over at them. "I will be remaining in Calatia. I have been training in the use of my Triforce, and at least one Bearer should stay here in case the enemy arrives before you return."

Viserys stood. "We will be arriving at Belakar City in two hours. I suggest you make your preparations quickly."

* * *

Colin looked up at Link. "So, we're going back to Hyrule now?"

Link sat down next to him on the couch in the Company's room. "That's right. I have some things I need to get from the mansion I told you about up in the mountains, and Princess Zelda and I need to talk to the refugees in the forest."

The boy looked down at his feet. "You're going to leave me there, aren't you?"

The Hero sighed. "I am, but that's because I don't want you to get hurt. I'm going to be doing a lot of fighting soon, and the enemy I'm fighting is really dangerous. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you because you were with me."

Colin nodded sadly. "I understand."

Link touched his shoulder. "Hey, you have something even more important to do now, since I've been training you."

Colin looked up. "Really?"

Link nodded. "You have to help your father and Mayor Bo and everyone else keep your mother and your sister safe in the forest. Since you can defend yourself now, it's your job to look out for the others."

The boy brightened. "Hey, that's right! Hyrule still has monsters in it, so I have to make sure none of them make it to the Kokiri Village."

Link smiled. "That's right."

Colin looked up at him. "Thanks, Link. I'll do my best."

The Hero stood, gesturing at Colin's bag where it lay on the floor. "I know you will. Now, make sure you're ready to go. We're leaving as soon as we get to the city."

"Okay," Colin said. As Link left, he looked out the window at the clouds going by. His adventure had been fun while it lasted, but it was time to go home. He missed his family, anyway, and couldn't wait to tell them all about what he had seen on his trip with Link.

And, like Link said, now he had to help keep them all safe.

* * *

Arnak stood on the upper deck of _Argent_ _Hawk_, looking down at the spectacular view spread out before him. He could see for many miles, and a large part of Calatia was visible from this altitude. It was similar in climate and topography to Hyrule, being surrounded and crossed by several mountain ranges, with expansive forests in the southern part of the country. The kingdom encompassed most of the continent it occupied, which had the same name.

The Bearer of Power could see where the forest around the capital had gotten its name, as the leaves on most of the trees were a dark shade of blue. The forest was also crisscrossed by several rivers, two of which flowed into the capital itself.

Belakar City, he had been told, was named after the first recorded emperor of Calatia, Belakar I, who had founded it. It boasted a palace that rivaled Hyrule Castle in size and splendor, the walls made of a dark red stone that was polished to a high sheen, gleaming from even this far away. Along the outer edge of the city were three grand towers that rose to equal height and were connected by thick walls, forming a giant triangle. In the exact center of this triangle was the central keep, an ornate castle consisting of many spires and towers, surrounded by a smaller version of the city wall. In between the walls was packed a thriving city, with many mansions visible close to the castle, and warehouses and other large buildings lined the outer edge of the city. Houses and businesses filled the remaining space. Arnak estimated it to be roughly the same size as Hyrule Castle Town, if slightly larger, and filled with just as many innocents in need of protecting.

As the _Argent Hawk_ drew closer to the city, Arnak looked behind him. He could still dimly see the shape of the mile-wide flying fortress they had captured moving off to Nimbus City, the main base of the Balacruf, which he had been told was within a few miles of here at the moment.

Arnak heard footsteps behind him on the metal deck and turned to see Raskys approaching. The ranger and former Balacruf soldier joined him at the railing.

"I've made up my mind," he said without preamble.

"About?" Arnak continued to look down at the rapidly approaching city. The warship had begin slowing down for its final approach, and he could make out more details of the city the closer they came to it.

Raskys sighed. "I'm going to return to duty. I talked it over with Viserys, and he says he's willing to compromise."

"Oh?" Arnak looked over at his friend.

The ranger nodded. "In exchange for giving him regular reports on our progress and acting as his representative, he's going to let me stay with the Hero's Company wherever it goes." He grinned. "Plus, he says he's willing to give us a small airship so we don't have to walk everywhere, if we want it. None of you know how to fly one, anyway, so that was another point I used in getting him to let me stay with you guys."

"Why did you not tell me that you were part of this organization when we met?" Arnak asked.

Raskys shrugged. "I hadn't been part of it for more than two years at the time. I figured that part of my life was over, and I wasn't in a hurry to get back. All of us had things we didn't talk about. You could never get anything out of Ivan about what his life was like before their village was destroyed, and the same thing goes for you, too, big guy. I didn't even know you had a wife before what you said in the desert."

"That is true. I suppose all of us had parts of our past we do not wish to talk about." Arnak looked over at his friend, his tone lighter. "Is there anything else from your past that will become important in the future?"

Raskys chuckled. "Oh, yeah, I somehow forgot to tell you, I'm five hundred years old, too, only _I'm_ an emissary for the forces of darkness and have been secretly plotting to screw up your efforts by shrinking all your shoes so you can't run as fast."

Arnak laughed out loud at the sheer ridiculousness of the statement, slapping his friend on the back. "Come on, it looks like we are almost there. Let's go back inside."

* * *

The _Argent Hawk_ landed just outside the walls of Belakar City, and several groups of the soldiers aboard disembarked with the Hero's Company and General Burgoyne, who would be directing the defense. Viserys and the other generals who had been aboard the warship were returning to their respective posts, though Viserys would be returning with more soldiers shortly. Shad would be staying aboard the warship, also, and going to the Nimbus City base to help Philos decipher the Oocca writing on the artifacts and in the fortress they had captured.

Since they were going their separate ways, the Hero's Company met as a whole for the last time in the hangar bay of _Argent Hawk_.

"So," said Shad, looking around the group, "is this the last we'll be seeing of each other?"

"At least for a little while," Erik replied. "Once we repel the assault on the city, we'll all be busy with helping the air fleet destroy fortresses and assisting in the ground effort, not to mention looking for the Oocca shipyards. The next few weeks promise to be eventful."

Link nodded. "We shouldn't be more than a few days in Hyrule. I'll do my best to come back in time for the battle."

Midna nudged his arm with her elbow. "Yeah, can't miss a good chance to show off all your fancy skills." She laughed when Link feigned irritation, raising an eyebrow at her.

"May all our efforts be blessed with success," Majacen said.

Raskys chuckled lightly. "Let's hope so. So long, everybody."

The Company finished their farewells and went off to their smaller groups; Arnak, Raskys, Majacen, and Erik into the city with the soldiers, Link, Midna, Zelda and Colin to make a portal and go to Hyrule with Auru and Ashei's group, and Shad stayed aboard the ship, bound for Nimbus City.

As the groups separated, Shad watched from the hangar bay as they walked off. His adventure with the Hero's Company had been interesting, the scholar thought, but now he was on to something more exciting to him: learning more about the Sky People. Despite what they were doing now, their culture had always fascinated him, and his father before him, and he couldn't wait to learn more about them.

Perhaps his research with Philos would turn up something useful to the war effort. Shad felt he could be more useful in that regard than as a fighter, anyway. He looked forward to whatever secrets he would uncover.

* * *

Author's Note: From this point on, the plot picks up as the battle lines are drawn and the two respective sides commence strategizing and striking at each other in earnest. The story will likely grow even more complicated, now that the Company has separated and the story follows their respective plotlines, so pay close attention to the coming chapters. Chapter 28 is in the works, and should be up soon. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.

(Revision Note: The usual.)


	28. The Monarchs

Twenty-Eight

Link stood at the bank of one of the rivers that ran through Belakar City with the others going to Hyrule with him, talking with Ralis, the Zora King. The Zora had approached them on their way away from the city, letting them know that the aquatic people were on their way back to Hyrule through the rivers and oceans that separated Calatia from the Golden Kingdom.

"I thank all of you for what you have done," the young ruler said. "The Zora people are deeply indebted to all of you for rescuing us, and when the time comes to retake your country, you may count on our assistance."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Zelda said. "I look forward to the continued friendship between our peoples."

Ralis smiled. "As do I. Farewell." At their nods, he turned and jumped into the river, joining the Zora that had waited for him, and the aquatic people quickly swam out of sight.

Link turned to the others. "Well, we should get going. We don't have much time to spend in Hyrule before we have to come back and help in the defense."

Zelda nodded. "I do not look forward to having to explain to the refugees that we have not returned to take back the country now. Most will likely be upset."

"We will help them to understand, Your Majesty," said Auru.

Midna came up to them just then, floating down from where she had made the portal. After some discussion, it had been decided that she would form the portal above a spot on the city wall near the main gates, as the battle would likely have started by the time they returned. She had taken precautions to do this unobserved, as they had not yet had the opportunity to discuss their plan with the Emperor, something Arnak and his group would do.

The Twilight Princess waved the group close to her. There were ten of them, including herself, and she explained to them how the process worked. "This is going to be a long-distance teleportation, so for those of you who have done this before, it's going to feel a little different. For those of you who haven't, don't think about what's about to happen too hard."

This drew a few chuckles from the warriors in Auru and Ashei's group and one from the Hero, also.

Midna continued. "Since I haven't transported this many people this long of a distance before, I'm sending us through in pairs. As soon as you're whole again, get out of the way and make room for the next group." She turned to Link and Zelda. "You two decide where we're going yet?"

Link nodded. "We're going to the portal in the north part of Faron Woods, near the Forest Temple."

Midna grinned quickly. "Gotcha. Okay, hold on, everybody."

She spread her arms, and, two at a time, the group dissolved into black squares, headed for Hyrule.

* * *

Arnak followed General Burgoyne and his group of soldiers deeper into the Belakar City. Upon learning of their arrival, the Emperor had requested their immediate presence, and so they were heading directly to the palace.

The Bearer of Power looked around as he, Raskys, Erik, and Majacen followed the Balacruf soldiers to the imperial palace. Belakar City was just as colorful and busy as it had seemed from the air, and as Arnak glanced around his surroundings, he also examined the city's defenses, attempting to estimate what their chances of repelling an army of eight thousand could be.

The streets were paved with more of the red stone the walls had been built from, and most of the buildings were constructed of the same material. Banners of every color flew from the rooftops, emblazoned with the coat of arms of dozens of different knights and noble families. Most prominently displayed were banners of a black eagle with outstretched wings emblazoned on a red field, a crown above the eagle's head, and Arnak surmised this was the symbol of the royal family.

Hundreds of people milled about in the streets, doing business, hurrying along to deliver packages or meet with friends, meeting for a meal at one of the many restaurants, and generally going about ordinary lives. There was an undercurrent of fear that Arnak could sense in the crowd, and several snatches of conversation that he picked up concerned the impending battle. Some were confident that the royal army and Viserys' soldiers would be able to repulse the enemy without any civilian casualties, but many more were saying that they would all be slaughtered in the streets.

Arnak scowled. None of these people deserved to have their lives disrupted by this invasion. What could drive someone to decide to forcibly take over the kingdoms of the world? The only reason Arnak could imagine was an incredible lust for power, the desire to have thousands -no, _millions_ of lives under their control. It was not a desire Arnak could understand, and could not imagine having. The purpose of the strong was to protect the weak, not dominate them.

The Bearer of Power turned his attention to the city defenses. They were strong, having withstood centuries of weather and attacks from the enemies Calatia no doubt possessed. It would be difficult to breach the city from the ground, but walls, no matter how thick, were worthless against an attack from the air, something no one could have fathomed until this invasion had begun. Arnak fully expected the ground army to be backed up by a flying fortress, and would be focusing his attention on it if and when one showed up.

The double layer of walls meant that there was a place to retreat and make a final stand if the enemy made it into the city. If no one else brought it up, Arnak would suggest in the meeting with the Emperor that all civilians be pulled back into the castle in case of such an eventuality, so that the defenders could focus on repelling the enemy army without having to worry about them.

The soldiers in front of them were slowing to a stop, and Arnak looked ahead to see they had reached the inner wall surrounding the palace. There was a triple layer of gates set into the wall, with openings above each set for defenders to rain arrows or boiling oil on any invaders. The whole thing projected an air of security, as if to reassure any who belonged here that they were safe, and inform any who did not belong that they were not.

Arnak had seen the royal palace from the air, but once they passed through the last set of gates, he was taken aback at the grandeur of the magnificent building. It was roughly the same size as Hyrule Castle, but far more opulent, lined with many sculptures and gargoyles along the walls, and with the red stone walls polished until they almost shone. There were many towers and spires, reaching to varying heights, and some were topped with gilded roofs that dazzlingly reflected the sun.

Raskys tapped his arm with a knuckle. "I can't decide whether I like the palace or not."

"Why is that?" Arnak asked.

The ranger crossed his arms. "Well, it's a really beautiful building, and I never get tired of looking at it whenever I come here, but at the same time, the whole thing seems to say 'whoever lives in here is better than you and you'd better get used to it' or something like that."

"You have been here before?" asked Majacen.

Raskys nodded. "A few times, back when I was in Viserys' army. It's a trade hub for this continent, and you get thousands of people through here every year. It's also the capital of the most powerful nation on this continent, so anybody who thinks they're somebody wants to get in good with the Emperor."

Their attention was drawn to the head of the group when the outer doors of the palace opened and servants dressed in long, loose robes of colorful silks accompanied a man in a set of dark red plate armor out to where General Burgoyne and his aides waited.

Burgoyne was a tall man in his mid-thirties, with blond hair cut short in the manner of the Balacruf army, and a trim goatee. His uniform was impeccably maintained, and he stood perfectly straight, one hand on his sword as he raised the other in greeting to the man in the red plate armor.

The Calatian soldier returned the greeting, stepping forward and looking over the group. He looked to be in his late forties, with short brown hair shot through with streaks of silver, mostly concentrated at the temples, and his face was rugged, beginning to show lines around his eyes and mouth. He projected a serious demeanor, and he reminded Arnak quite a bit of Ivan, the second-in-command of the group of warriors he had traveled with before coming to Hyrule.

The Balacruf soldiers were all in identical uniforms of dark blue tunics over black pants, and the man's gaze paused on Arnak and the others -who were obviously different- for a moment before returning to Burgoyne.

"I am General Jouglas, commander of the Army of the Capital," he said. "The city's safety is my responsibility, and I will be overseeing the defense. You will be working with me."

"I am General Burgoyne, of the 5th Ground Division of the Balacruf Army," the younger man replied. "My men and I are to aid your defense preparations in any way we can until the Admiral arrives with the rest of our soldiers." He gestured back at Arnak and the others, motioning them forward. "These are warriors from Hyrule, among whom is a bearer of a piece of the Triforce, who have also pledged their aid in defending your city."

Jouglas looked at the four of them again, not quite scowling at them in the way some soldiers view warriors not part of an official military. "The Emperor is waiting for you. Please follow me to the throne room. The servants will see to your men. I will also ask that you not bring any weapons into the Emperor's presence. The servants will take them to your rooms."

Burgoyne ordered his soldiers to follow the servants to their temporary barracks and, after everyone surrendered their weapons, he and one of his aides accompanied Arnak and the others through the halls with Jouglas.

The inside of the palace was just as opulent as the outside, the walls covered in tapestries, paintings, and ornate decorative weapons and plush carpeting spread over the floors. Red was the predominant color, offset by gold and white in the décor. They passed many servants and guards in the wide, brightly lit halls, and these stepped aside to allow them through.

Jouglas stopped in front of a huge set of double doors and turned to face the group. "The Emperor has been informed of the situation. Please give him as detailed information as you can, as he is very concerned about the safety of his people."

The huge doors were opened, and the group stepped into the throne room.

* * *

Zelda regarded the foliage barrier surrounding the Kokiri Forest for a few moments, waiting for her presence to be acknowledged.

Their group had re-formed not far from the ancient Forest Temple deep within Faron Woods, and the princess had felt both at once at ease and apprehensive. She was glad to be back in her home country, if not her home itself, and she could see and sense that her fellow natives of Hyrule felt the same way, particularly the Hero. She did not, however, look forward to having to explain to her people that she was not returning permanently.

Following Link, the group had made its way through the temple to the room which contained the path outside to the forest, and were now paused before the thick wall of nearly impenetrable trees, a natural barrier intertwined so thickly nothing could make it through.

After perhaps two minutes of waiting, a fairy appeared through the barrier, the softly glowing ball of light hovering in place a few feet away from the group. Zelda heard the powerful voice of the Deku Tree resonate through her mind.

"_**Thou art welcome within my wood. Approach."**_

The fairy swirled over a part of the barrier, and the roots and branches parted to allow them through. Once they had stepped into the village of the forest children, Zelda looked around at the crowded clearing.

This was ordinarily a place of peace, a comfortable place for the Kokiri to spend their perpetual childhood, but now, it was packed with people. Almost everywhere there was space enough to pitch a tent, one was present, and hundreds of people milled about, the survivors of the series of lightning-fast raids that had taken her country virtually overnight. Zelda could see several enclosures for goats, horses and cattle, the hastily erected fences extending off into the forest beyond.

Hyrule's Princess called for a stop just beyond the foliage barrier, turning to Link. "The two of us should be the first the people see. Be prepared to answer many questions, though I will attempt to cover as many points as I can in my speech."

Link nodded, straightening his clothes. Zelda also took the opportunity to bring back a bit of the image of the Princess by quickly braiding her hair into the style she wore in public appearances instead of the simple ponytail she had been wearing, bringing her tiara out of her bag and putting it in its customary place, also. Her rough traveling clothes could not be helped, but Zelda realized that they might reinforce the image she wanted to project as a ruler who was actively fighting for her people alongside the Hero. This would hopefully be reassuring to the people she would leave again all too soon.

Zelda prepared herself, running over the speech she had been composing ever since she had decided to return to Hyrule. Their group would be noticed any moment now, and the princess wondered what the reaction of the crowd would be.

As it turned out, Link was the first one spotted, by a girl from his village Zelda remembered as Ilia. Zelda was surveying the crowd, and she noticed Ilia dashing for them, surprise and joy mingled on her face.

"Link! You're back!" the girl said, wrapping her arms around the Hero. "We were so worried about you!" At her happy shout, several other people looked over at them some pointing and directing others to where they were standing.

"I would've written, if I could," Link replied. He pulled back to look Ilia in the eyes. "I can't stay for long though. I'm needed in the war."

Ilia nodded sadly. "That's what I thought. Have you found a way to defeat your enemy yet?"

It was Colin who answered. "Not yet, but we're really getting there! Link found some guys who are fighting the Oocca, too, and they have these huge ships that can fly through the sky just like a bird!"

By now, a crowd was gathering, trying to see for themselves if the Hero had really returned. Zelda noticed the residents of the Hero's home village were near the front of the crowd, and Colin suddenly broke away from his conversation with Link and Ilia to run for his parents.

As more of the crowd recognized her, Zelda held up her hands for silence. "The Hero and I have returned!" she said. "But, I regret to tell you, not permanently. The war against our foe still continues, and we as Triforce Bearers are needed elsewhere."

"The only place you're needed is Hyrule! We're tired of hiding in this forest!" came a shout out of the crowd. There were several murmurs of assent.

Zelda narrowed her eyes, trying to locate the outburst's source. "The conflict in which we are embroiled extends far beyond the borders of our kingdom. If you will permit me to explain, I will tell you why the Hero and I are not here to liberate Hyrule at this time. Will you listen?"

The crowd was largely silent, though the princess did hear more angry murmuring. Taking their lack of response as an affirmation, she continued.

"We have learned that our enemy seeks to dominate not just our beloved home, but the entire globe. As yet, they have largely succeeded, and there are few who can oppose them. The Hero and I have encountered others who are capable of resisting our adversaries, but our assistance is still needed to keep destruction from being visited upon other innocents in the world.

"We as Triforce Bearers are some of the few capable of standing against those who would conquer this world, and thus it is our duty to do so." Zelda looked around the crowd, trying to make eye contact with as many of her people as she could. "I know it is hard being separated from your homes, to have your lives disrupted in this way, but please understand; you are safe here. This will not last forever." Zelda stood straighter, projecting resolve. "We _will_ liberate Hyrule from its conquerors, and we _will_ go back to our lives.

"We are a strong people, able to withstand any adversity. This time will go down in our history as another trial we overcame, proving ourselves to be worthy of living in the Chosen Land of the Gods.

"Many have tried to seize our land since the dawn of our history, and all have failed, beaten back by the Heroes the Goddesses have sent us. Each time a conqueror has threatened us, his rule has not lasted, and even the most successful of these tyrants was thrown down after seven years by the Hero."

She motioned Link forward, murmuring for him to draw the Master Sword as he did so. He held the sacred weapon high, letting the light play off the white blade until it appeared that the sword shone with an inner light.

"The Hero is with us! I ask for your patience, that we lend our savior to the others of the world who have need of his power. There are those who are not so fortunate as to have a warrior sent to them by the gods, and they are close to being crushed beneath our enemy's relentless assault. They need our power, and as those chosen by the Goddesses to protect their creation, we must give it to them.

"I will say again: You are safe here. Your time in this sacred forest will not last forever. The day _will_ come when we free our land. I ask that you spend the time between now and then preparing, preparing to rise up behind the Hero and take back your homes. When that day comes, we will rise up, and we will show those who would conquer our land that we are not mere sheep, to be thrown about on the whims of madmen!"

Zelda paused for just a moment, to build up the tension. "Stand firm! Our home will be ours once more!"

Most of the crowd cheered, but there were still those whose anger was plainly apparent, even without being able to sense their emotions. Zelda knew that she still had much work to do, and she would suggest to Link later that he return to Hyrule once the battle in Calatia's capital was over. Some would be satisfied with nothing less than the Hero's full attention to removing their enemies from Hyrule immediately, regardless of the needs of others.

She stepped back, and Link sheathed his sword. The crowd began to disperse, talking among themselves, and Zelda set off directly to the house where the King was staying, her father first on her mind. She had been worrying about him since they had left the forest, in between all the other concerns that were pressed upon her.

The King's chief servant, Martyn, was waiting for her, and his expression was grave. It lightened when he saw her, but quickly sunk back into worriment. He waved her inside the house and closed the door.

"What is it?" Zelda asked, fearing the answer.

Martyn sighed anxiously. "Oh, it's so good that you're back, Your Majesty! I had so worried for your safety, journeying out in the wilds with that band of rough-looking warriors, and I-"

"I'm fine, Martyn," she interrupted. "How is my father?"

As she had feared, the servant's expression turned sad. "He is… not well, Your Majesty. He spends most of his time sleeping, and he does not know where he is when he is awake. The doctors say he has not much time left."

The princess pushed down the tears that tried to well up, forcing her voice to stay calm. "How long?"

Martyn's voice fell to just above a whisper. "Not more than a few weeks, milady. Perhaps only days."

Zelda nodded, forcing her face to remain expressionless. She had been expecting this for a long time, with her father's ill health, but it was still not something she wanted to think about.

She moved past the servants to where her father lay in his bed, by one of the windows in the small dwelling. His face seemed even more drawn, his once-handsome features now withered by age and sickness. She had been born relatively late in his life, and she had only known him as he had been for a few years before his wits began to fade and more responsibility was thrust upon her.

Still, he was her father, and she did not want to see him go.

* * *

The Emperor's throne room was quite possibly the biggest single room Arnak had ever been in. It was huge, as if to dwarf any who set foot inside it. The thrones sat at the very back of the cavernous chamber, flanked by two enormous statues of crowned men in full armor. Gigantic rose-tinted windows made up a good part of the ceiling, bathing the chamber in an ethereal light, and the highly polished armor and weapons of the throne room guards shone brightly, a truly impressive sight to Arnak, who had never been inside a royal palace before.

General Jouglas led the way to the center throne, upon which sat a man of perhaps seventy, dressed in richly embroidered robes of crimson, white and gold. He wore an ornately jeweled crown, from under which spilled long, thick silver hair, matched by a precisely trimmed beard framing a largely unlined face. He waited patiently for them to traverse the enormous throne room, his expression alert.

Another man in his late twenties, dark-haired and clean-shaven, stood behind and to the right of the central throne, dressed in similar robes, not as decorative, and with a plain gold band as his crown. He shared the Emperor's features, and was likely a relative, perhaps a son or nephew.

A herald stepped forward and blew a few notes on a long trumpet. "His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Belakar XII, welcomes you to Calatia. He welcomes whatever assistance you wish to provide in defending our sovereign nation."

At the Emperor's signal, their group approached the throne. Burgoyne dropped to one knee, and the others followed suit.

The Emperor looked them over for a moment before speaking. "We are grateful to your people for aiding us in the defense of our country. Calatia is one of the last free nations, and we intend to remain so. Tell me, how do you plan to help us in defending the city?"

General Burgoyne answered. "I have been instructed to strengthen your defenses in any way I can, and our men will be fighting alongside your own on the walls and in the field. The Admiral himself will be coming shortly with the rest of our soldiers and will coordinate the battle personally."

The Emperor nodded, the gems in his crown sparkling with the movement in the rosy light. "Good." His gaze moved past the Balacruf general to Arnak and the others. "I am told there are warriors from distant Hyrule present. Might I inquire as to why you have journeyed here?"

Arnak was about to answer, but Majacen spoke up first. "We are part of a group that has formed for the purpose of defeating the Oocca, Your Majesty. Not all of us are from Hyrule, but our leader and several of our members hail from that land. We are intent to stop them however we can, and we have decided to aid in the defense of the remaining free nations while we are in pursuit of that objective."

"How many are in this group?" the Emperor asked.

The Bearer of Power answered this time. "Seven, sir." Colin and Shad were no longer with the main group, so Arnak did not count them.

A disdainful scoff sounded from the young man standing next to the throne. "Seven? What can seven people hope to accomplish against an army that has managed to conquer most of the known world?"

Irritated, Arnak held up his right hand, the one with the Triforce marking, so that the Emperor and the other man could see it. "Do you know what this is?" he asked, careful to keep his irritation out of his tone.

The younger man leaned forward slightly and sneered, openly showing his contempt. "It is the symbol of Hyrule, part of their royal crest. It means you have been branded a servant of the royal house, most likely. Stop wasting the Emperor's time."

The Emperor held up a hand, looking over at the man standing next to his throne. "Allow him to speak, my son. They are guests, and must be treated with respect."

From the way the younger man grudgingly resumed his position and from the way the Emperor had spoken to him, Arnak concluded the younger man to be the Emperor's heir, in training for assuming the throne. This made him the Grand Duke, from what Raskys had told him.

"Please continue," said the aged ruler.

Arnak held up his hand again. "This signifies that I am a bearer of one third of the Triforce, known as Power. The bearers of Wisdom and Courage are also part of our group. Several of our group are individuals of similar power, and it is why we have banded together, so that we might do the most good by working with each other."

The Emperor's eyes widened slightly. "I have heard many legends concerning the Triforce. If they are true, then it is an honor for us that you have chosen to defend us."

The Grand Duke scoffed again, but otherwise remained silent, still making his opinion of their group clear by the look of contempt he wore.

The Emperor frowned at his son before returning his gaze to their group. "The hour grows late, and I am sure you are weary from your journey. I ask that you join me for dinner, at which time you can tell me more about yourselves. My servants will show you to your rooms."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Arnak said. "We would be honored."

At that, several of the guards stepped away from the throne and escorted them out of the throne room. Arnak heard the Emperor speaking in a sharp whisper as they walked away from the throne.

Once they had left, Raskys leaned over and whispered to Arnak as they followed the guards and servants, his tone amused. "That went well. I hope the Grand Duke doesn't try to cause any problems for us."

"There is no accounting for arrogance," Arnak whispered back. "I think we will have to prove our worth through our actions in battle rather than through words."

* * *

That evening, Link gathered with his friends in a secluded part of the forest, near a quiet pond surrounded with leafy green trees. He and Midna were leaving for Snowpeak in the morning, and he wanted to talk with his friends before he left. Zelda had asked to stay here with her father while they were up in the mountains, so just the two of them were going.

"Tell me one more time where this weapons cache is, please," Link said to Auru.

"It is in a room with a long spiral ramp, along which are two large cages. We found the trapdoor leading to the cache in the upper cage," the older man responded.

Midna smirked, elbowing Link. "I know which room that is. I can't believe you missed that. We must have spent at least a day up there, running all over the place for cheese and pumpkins, of all things."

Telma gave her an incredulous look. "Pumpkins? What were pumpkins doing up in the middle of the mountains?"

The Twilight Princess shrugged. "I have no idea. The one we found was fresh, too, and unless those Yetis have a garden we didn't find, not to mention at least one goat, they've been getting food from Hyrule somehow."

"Well, we'll ask them once we get there." said Link. "How have things been since we left?"

Telma let out a short, annoyed sigh. "Boring, honey. There's not a whole lot to do in this forest besides greet the new arrivals. I think just about everybody is here now, except a couple villages out near Lake Hylia and, of course, the army." She scoffed disgustedly. "More than half the soldiers are still unaccounted for, but a few groups have made their way here. From what they've said, monsters have taken over the whole country, though they've spotted a few groups of humans, too."

"Humans? What humans are working with the Oocca?" Midna asked.

Rusl replied. "Well, not long after you left, we organized scouting missions to check the country out for when you returned. We've almost finished plotting the enemy defenses and supply lines, and we're getting ready to start harassing them with guerrilla tactics. There's a huge army camped in the eastern plain, and it looks like they plan to use Hyrule as a base to finish taking over this continent. Ivan and his men scouted it out a while ago, and they saw a group of humans with the army as well as the monsters. We've seen other humans, as well, but those groups were all women, with dark skin and red hair."

Link looked over at Midna. "That sounds like the Gerudo. What are they doing here? They told us they were going to stay in their part of the desert as long as we left them alone."

"Gerudo?" said Telma, her surprise evident. "When did you meet them? I thought they hadn't been seen since Ganondorf was defeated the first time."

"Right after we left the forest, we went to the desert, to a fortress Ganondorf had there. They had been watching us before we went in, and as soon as we left, they captured us. After we told them who we were, they let us go and told us not to come back," Link said. "They said they would leave us alone as long as we did the same for them."

Midna snapped her fingers suddenly. "Hey, wait a minute. Remember what Zelda said when we captured Nemo? She said she could sense from that fragment of Shadow magic in him that whoever had made it was either Gerudo or a student of Ganondorf's."

"Or both," Link said, his jaw setting into a determined line. "I think we need to pay the Gerudo a visit after we're done at Snowpeak. It would be worth the extra time to find out exactly who's behind this invasion."

"Definitely," said Midna. She turned to Rusl, a puzzled look on her face. "You said you'd seen other humans besides the Gerudo. Who were these people?"

Rusl described what he and the other scouting parties had seen. "These humans are not any we recognized. They dress in loose-fitting clothes in bright colors, sometimes in armor decorated with strange characters, and all have very long hair. There are both men and women, but all seem to be warriors, and we have seen no elderly or children among them. From our observations, they speak a language none us have ever heard, and they are armed mostly with spears and swords, again of types we do not recognize."

Link frowned. "I'd like to stay here and help you investigate, but I have to be back in Calatia within a few days to help defend their capital. Let me know what you find out about these people when I come back."

Rusl nodded. "I will. Good luck. Both of you."

The Twilight Princess smirked. "We'll need it."

* * *

Arnak glared down at the servant. "No."

The thin young woman, who had to be at least two feet shorter than him, scowled up at the Bearer of Power. "It is bad enough that you've seen the Emperor looking like this once already. The entire royal court will be present at dinner, and all guests must be presentable."

"I am fine," Arnak said, ignoring Raskys' snickering.

The Emperor's servants had insisted that their group clean up and exchange their rough traveling clothes for something more appropriate for a formal dinner, and Arnak was perfectly willing to go along with this, but this servant had asked too much of him.

"You are _not_ fine," the servant insisted. "You look like some sort of scruffy, disreputable outlaw, hardly the kind of dinner guests the Emperor keeps."

Raskys laughed out loud. "She's got your number, big guy."

Arnak glared at him. "Be quiet, Raskys."

His friend laughed again, leaning back against the wall of the room they were in and crossing his arms. "It's a haircut, big guy, not major surgery. Don't tell me you're afraid of scissors." He gestured at the door. "Besides, everybody else is ready. Dinner's in twenty minutes, and this gal isn't going to let you go unless you trim that mane of yours."

"Be _quiet_, Raskys," Arnak said again.

The servant sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "If you won't let me cut your hair, will you at least let me comb it? You look like a wild animal."

Raskys laughed harder. "I like this girl." He looked up at Arnak, still grinning. "Hey, I don't like getting my hair cut, either, but I kind of had to. Military protocol and all that."

The soldier's black hair was shorter, combed neatly, and he had trimmed his full beard back to a goatee. Raskys was dressed in a crisply pressed Balacruf uniform, with several pins on his collar that he had told Arnak signified his rank, division, and position, as well as a small gold pin shaped like a pair of wings that signified he was a pilot. He looked so different from the way he usually did that Arnak would not have recognized him had he not popped in to see what was keeping the big man and started laughing once he learned the reason.

Arnak himself had chosen a more formal version of his normal clothes from what the servants had provided, and wore a long-sleeved green tunic and dark brown pants tucked into the biggest pair of boots they had, over which he wore a knee-length short-sleeved leather coat, a sort of expanded version of his jerkin. The clothes were stiff and uncomfortable, and he was already dreading the formal dinner with the Emperor. He did not understand the reason for it, either, but there were some things not even a Triforce Bearer could avoid.

He frowned deeply in a vain attempt to scare the servant off. When the woman did not budge, he sat down in a nearby chair, still frowning. "Very well," he said, "You may do as you wish." He held up a warning finger. "But, you may not cut it."

The young woman sighed exasperatedly. "I'll see what I can do." She withdrew an array of combs and other implements from the bag she had brought with her and set to work.

Arnak glared at Raskys. "Do you not have something else you can do?"

His friend chuckled. "Oh, I'm not going anywhere, big guy. I wouldn't miss this for anything."

Arnak fumed quietly, and his irritation gradually gave way to sadness. His wife had been the last person to cut his hair, and he had neither shaved nor had his hair trimmed since she died.

He felt a pang of sorrow deep within himself. He missed her terribly, and the burning hatred he felt for her killers was all that kept him going sometimes.

Arnak dismissed his irritation. He had a duty, he knew, to stop his enemy, and anything he had to put up with in pursuit of that was meaningless as long as he followed through on his duty.

If he could prevent these invaders from destroying other lives as they had destroyed his, he would honor her memory. If he could foil their plans and eventually defeat their leadership, he would finally avenge her and the rest of his friends and family.

What would he do once he had done that, he wondered. His entire village had been totally destroyed and everyone he had known had been killed. His entire purpose in life was to avenge them now, but what would he do if he accomplished that goal?

Arnak decided that he would worry about that when the time came. Right now, he would do whatever he could to make sure every resident of this city survived. He knew from what Zelda had taught him and his own experimentation that his Triforce could give him the capability to do almost anything he wanted. So, the Bearer of the Triforce of Power decided he wanted the enemy army to be completely decimated and the capital spared, and his enemies to be utterly defeated in the overall war. Any minor irritation was irrelevant in pursuit of this.

The servant touched Arnak's shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts. "All done," she said.

He rose, looking down at her. "Thank you. I apologize for my rudeness."

She smiled briefly. "Don't worry about it." She gestured at the door. "The guard outside will take you to the dining hall."

He thanked her again, and he and Raskys went outside, following the guard. Arnak walked in silence, deep in thought. This would undoubtedly be difficult, but he decided that he did not care.

He had a war to win.

* * *

The hunt. That was what her life had become; the endless pursuit of her prey. At times, she questioned her reasons for her pursuit, but these were always quietly silenced, and her mind shifted back to her main objective once again.

So far, her hunt had been fruitless. No trace of her prey had been found, nor had she found any clues pointing her in their direction. It gnawed at her, not being able to find those she sought. In all likelihood, they had fled across the ocean, and she would never be able to find them there.

For weeks, she had quietly been spying in this coastal city and the surrounding countryside, hoping to find out where her prey had gone. It burned within her, the desire to find them and end their lives. It was a rushing tide, drowning out all other thoughts. She would never be at peace until she fulfilled her objective.

There was a sudden prickle at the back of her mind. A tiny voice told her that she could find her prey if she went east. Yes, it was exactly the kind of thing her prey would do; pretend to go across the ocean to try and trick her, and then go the opposite direction. Another reason why they must be ended.

She asked the voice for more. This tiny voice, almost a subliminal whisper in her mind, had been her guide in her wanderings, and she had grown to depend on it.

It told her again to go east, and quickly. It said nothing more, falling silent once again. She decided to go back through the desert. She could be back at the city in only a few days, if she pushed her horse and herself to the limit. From there she would hope her voice told her where to go.

A slow smile played over her face. Soon, her hunt would be ended.

* * *

Author's Note: More art based on this story has been posted, which you can see in the Favorites section of my DeviantArt account. Silverwolf05 has posted a picture of Raneses, and Lupanari has posted some sketches of Balacruf airships, as well. I'm still working on my own drawings of the major weapons of this story, and I'll mention in a future author's note when I post them. Chapter 29 will be up soon.

(Revision Note: The usual)


	29. Relics of the Past

Twenty-Nine

Shad watched from his post at the side of the command platform on the bridge of _Argent Hawk_ as the warship made its final approach into Nimbus City. He had been told by one of the soldiers that the city was completely mobile, and that the dozens of air barges that comprised the buildings could separate and fly to wherever the city was needed.

The city was arranged like a giant wagon wheel, with a cluster of the huge, rectangular barges gathered at the center, and spokes stretching off to an outer perimeter of more of the barges. Shad marveled at the level of organization this must require, and the precision flying it must take to land in this formation.

In between the spokes of the 'wheel' were parked at least a dozen warships, three of which were of the same class as _Argent Hawk._

The scientist Philos was standing next to Shad, and he pointed to one of the ships, which was slightly more heavily armed than the others of its class, and still bore signs of a battle. "That's the flagship, _Falcon's Pride_. The Admiral commands it most of the time, and it was the ship we were on when we captured the fortress your group battled over Hyrule. The Admiral ended up having to destroy that one, as I'm sure he told you. The flagship should be almost finished with its repairs by now."

The scholar nodded. The airships fascinated him, but he looked forward even more to examining the Oocca flying fortress this battle group had captured yesterday.

Even more exciting, he had been told that Viserys' previous mission had captured two Oocca survivors, who were awaiting interrogation. The chance to actually meet a member of the Sky People almost made the scholar forget what the Oocca were currently doing.

_Argent Hawk_ slowed to a stop and slowly began to descend onto one of the landing pads between the spokes of the city. There was a gentle bump, just like every other landing, and the next thing Shad heard were footsteps descending the metal stairs of the command platform.

He looked up to see Viserys quickly gesture for the two of them to follow him as he left the bridge, and Shad hurried to catch up with the Admiral's long strides. They passed many crew members in the halls, hurrying to their appointed tasks. From overhearing Viserys' orders, Shad knew this ship would quickly be loaded with soldiers and returning to the capital, remaining there on patrol once the soldiers were off. Viserys suspected one or more Oocca fortresses would be backing up the ground army, and he was redirecting as many warships as could be spared to the capital in preparation for this.

The Mercenary King headed directly to the hangar bay, and from there to _Peregrine_, his personal ship. He stopped at the hatch and motioned the two intellectuals aboard, and once they had settled into the seats in the cockpit, Viserys sealed the hatch and sat down in the pilot's seat.

"We'll be heading directly to where the prisoners are being held," Viserys said. "I would like you two there in case they do not speak any human languages, and to record anything useful they might tell us."

Philos nodded, but Shad was distracted by the view out of the expansive windows at the front of the small airship. Just beyond the city, the huge, twisted shape of the captured fortress could be seen, with several small airships flying around the mile-wide structure. It did not look like any other examples of Oocca architecture Shad had ever seen, and he was puzzled by this.

The _Peregrine_ left the hangar bay of _Argent Hawk_ and flew over the city, giving Shad an impressive view of all the warships parked within the limits of the base, as well as glimpses of tiny figures far below them hurrying between the buildings.

Viserys piloted his ship down toward the central hub of Nimbus City, at which several of the huge barges were stacked atop one another, as well as a few other smaller airships that had become part of the city. There was a cavernous hangar bay at the base of the tower of barges, one that encompassed most of the barge containing it. It was big enough to fit one of the smaller warships inside, and Shad saw another bay a few barges over that enclosed one about _Cardinal_'s size, being serviced by an army of mechanics.

Once _Peregrine_ had set down, Viserys stood and gestured them out, bringing along his sword and a small bag which he handed to a waiting aide.

The man saluted. "If you like, Admiral, I can take you directly to the prisoners."

Viserys nodded. "Yes, let's go."

Shad followed the group through the halls, wondering what would be revealed in their discussion with the captured Oocca.

* * *

Midna watched as Link said his last farewells to his friends before they left. Princess Zelda was also there to see them off.

Link was currently talking to Colin, telling the boy to watch out for the others and to keep up his sword practice.

"I will, Link! I'll get my dad to practice with me every day, and I'll show the others what I've learned, too!" the boy said excitedly.

The Hero smiled and clapped the boy on the shoulder. "Good. I'll see you later."

Colin nodded, and stepped aside as Ilia came forward.

"Be safe on your trip, Link," she said, hugging him tightly.

He nodded as she pulled back. "I will. Take good care of Epona for me."

"I will," she said with a sort of sad smile.

Midna hid her amusement. The girl obviously had a huge crush on Link, and, dense as he was, he didn't appear to see it. One thing she had noticed about Link was that he could spot an enemy from a mile away and hear it from two, but he couldn't see something obvious like this when it was right in front of his face. It was almost endearing, really.

Link looked out at the group. "I'll be back in a couple days. This shouldn't take me long."

After a last round of farewells and wishes for a safe journey, the two of them stepped through the foliage barrier to walk out of range of the Deku Tree's protection before warping to Snowpeak.

The Twilight Princess chuckled shortly as they walked through the forest.

Link looked over at her. "What?"

"How come nobody's satisfied with 'see you later' anymore? They have to spend ten minutes saying goodbye, and you'll be right back in a couple days."

Link shrugged, remaining silent.

Midna frowned briefly, remembering her own abrupt departure from the Light World. 'See you later' had been all the farewell she had given him, and her joke had likely brought that up in the Hero's memory.

That led into something else Midna had been avoiding thinking about: She would have to go back to the Twilight Realm eventually. She'd been gone for more than a month now, and if her people hadn't already decided that she was dead, they were at least wondering where their ruler was.

What was she still doing here? This world wasn't her responsibility. She was enjoying her adventure with Link, but her people still needed her.

Erik said that there were at least three portals to the Twilight Realm that he knew of besides the Mirror of Twilight and the portal she had used to come back to the Light World. Perhaps she should ask the Sheikah where they were.

No, Midna decided. She was a part of this war in the Light Realm, and she was needed here. Besides, two of her Fused Shadows were still missing, and she wasn't leaving this world until she got them back. But, she would still find a way to get back to the Twilight Realm or at least send word of what she was doing when they saw the Sheikah warrior again. She would also make sure that if she had to return to her realm, Link would not be hampered by not having her abilities when he needed them.

She turned to him. "Hey, Link. Let's stop for a minute."

"What is it?" he said.

"You know that tattoo Erik has on his hand that looks like mine?" Midna held up her arm to display her own softly glowing blue-green markings.

Link nodded. "Yeah. Didn't he say he got that in the Twilight Realm?"

Midna frowned. "And he's never given me a straight answer about how or why, either." She shook her head. "That's not my point. What I mean is, it lets him use a bit of Twili magic, especially the ability to use the portals we made." She looked at her markings for a moment, trying to remember the exact pattern of the Sheikah warrior's tattoo. "And, if I remember correctly, he should be able to hide in shadows and phase through barriers, also, like I can."

"Hmm. Sounds useful," Link said, taking a drink out of his canteen. "He's not here, so what made you think of it?"

She grinned. "You want to be able to do it, too?"

Link looked over at her, eyebrows raising in interest. "Really? You can do that?"

Midna held up her arm again. "These aren't just for looks. They're something to focus my power through. It'd be easy to give you one."

He smirked. "Then why didn't you do it before?"

She smirked back at him. "What, and make you think you didn't need me? Besides, you need to be pretty experienced with magic to use the full capability, anyway, but I think I can at least teach you how to use the portals." She reached out and gently tapped the side of his head. "Be glad you've got points on your ears, Mr. Hero. If you were a human, I wouldn't be able to do this."

Link shrugged. "Is there anything I need to do?"

Midna gestured at a fallen tree, and the two of them sat down on it. "Just take off your glove and roll up your sleeve." She winked at him. "I'll put it on your left hand, since it's all marked up, anyway."

The Hero removed the leather gauntlet on his left arm and pulled off his glove, pushing his sleeve up to his elbow. She looked down at his arm for a moment, noting the scars on his forearm he had acquired in his life of ranching and the others he had from the numerous battles they had been through. On the back of his hand was the triangular marking of the Triforce, black like a brand or an ordinary ink tattoo.

Midna focused her power in her fingertips, and, remembering when her father had done the same for her, lightly drew her fingers across Link's hand, trailing softly glowing blue-green lines like she had dipped her fingers in paint. She made a circle around his Triforce marking, drawing the ends a little further down his arm and circling around to make a band around his arm just below his wrist. Once that was done, she added a few more glyphs on the underside of his arm below the original marking, and connected it all together with a few swirling lines.

She gave his arm a pat and smiled at him. "All done."

Link looked at the marking curiously. "What do these glyphs mean?"

Midna couldn't resist. "They say 'this is the property of Midna, Princess of the Twilight Realm, so hands off!'"

His startled look was priceless. "What?!"

She laughed. "No, I'm just kidding. They're the symbols for teleportation. You can use the portals now."

As Link was starting to roll his sleeve back down, Midna thought of something. "Hey, wait a second!"

She produced the orange-and-black stone that enabled Link to turn into a wolf, a fragment of Ganondorf's solidified Shadow magic Zant had cursed him with on their first journey. She held it up.

"As long as we're at it, why don't we add this, too? You never know when being able to turn into an animal could be useful, and it'd be better if you didn't have to depend on me to do it."

Link rolled his sleeve back up again. "Okay. What do we do?"

Midna looked at the stone as it floated above her fingers. "Well, I've been studying this thing, and I think I know exactly how it works. It's basically concentrated Twilight, and if you touch it, it makes your Triforce react and turn you into a beast to avoid being overwhelmed by it, like those shadow crystals Zant had scattered in the palace. I think I know what to do to let you have conscious control over it."

Link raised an eyebrow, smirking. "All right, but if it makes me a wolf permanently, you're the first one I'm eating."

Midna grinned. "Why don't you just try it, hero boy?" She held out her hand. "Ready?"

He nodded, and she tightened her grip on the Shadow fragment, crushing it to dust. She clenched her hand tightly, not letting any dust escape, and brought her hand close to his left, holding her fist over his Triforce marking.

To their surprise, the triangular marking flashed gold, shining with a bright light, and Midna felt a strong tug on the dust in her hand. She let go, and, as if it were in an imaginary hourglass, the dust flowed into the center of the marking, disappearing under the skin.

Nothing happened for several long moments, and the two of them looked up at each other.

"Feel any different?" Midna asked.

Link had a strange look on his face. "Yeah. I think I can-"

He suddenly cut off and his eyes squeezed shut, his hands coming up to press against his head. He let out a low groan that slowly turned into a growl as he fell off the log and his entire body turned solid black. The black shape shifted, rearranging itself, and the black hue faded, leaving behind a gigantic gray-and-white wolf. The only indication that the animal had once been human were the two small blue earrings in its ears.

The wolf opened his clear blue eyes and looked around, getting to his feet and sniffing several times. His head swiveled over toward Midna, and he made a sort of interrogatory growl.

"Well, looks like it worked," Midna said, reaching down to scratch the wolf behind the ears. His fur was incredibly soft, and she ran her hand down his back, patting him once.

If it was possible for a wolf to give a dirty look, he did so.

"Sorry." Midna chuckled. "I couldn't resist."

The wolf rolled his eyes, another thing a natural animal wouldn't do, and padded off a few steps to sniff around the log they had been sitting on. After a few seconds of this, the wolf turned to face her again and closed its eyes. Its entire body turned black, shifted, and then Link was standing before her, stretching his arms.

He groaned. "I'd forgotten what that felt like." He smiled at her. "Thanks. This should be useful in the future."

Midna shrugged. "I should have done it a long time ago." She turned to the path out of the forest. "Come on, we've spent enough time here. Let's get going. I'll show you how to use the portals now."

Link rolled down his sleeve and pulled his glove and gauntlet back on, covering up the new markings there. "Okay. What do I do?"

"Well, since you're new at this, I'll give you a real simple way to do it. Can you feel the marking on your arm?"

He nodded looking down at his hand. "It tingles a little."

"That's because it's new. That'll go away after a while. Now, concentrate on it, and try to draw power out of it."

Link nodded again, his features settling into a look of concentration. "I feel something."

Midna smiled quickly. "Good. Now, concentrate on what you're feeling, and try to reach out for anything that feels similar to it."

His eyes closed, and she felt a dim brush against her consciousness. "There's something very close by. Is that you?"

"Yup. Now, look north, and see if you can find the portal at the top of Snowpeak. Not the closer one, that's the portal at the Temple of Time. Go further." She could feel him looking, though it was very faint.

His look of concentration deepened. "Okay, I think I have it."

Midna nodded. "Yeah, you have it. Now, just… try to go there. I can't put it any simpler than that."

Link's mouth quirked in an awed grin. "Hey, I can feel it work-"

Abruptly, he broke into black squares and disappeared, leaving Midna standing alone in the forest.

She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head, amused. "Forgot something, Mr. Hero."

With a brief touch of her own power, she followed him.

* * *

During the course of the meal, a fantastic array of dishes were placed before Arnak, but he barely had time to eat between all the questions he was asked by the Emperor and the others of the royal court.

He gave them a heavily edited version of his past and how he had come to be in Hyrule, and they were thankfully less interested in his life before he had acquired the Triforce of Power than they were in what he had been doing for the last month or so, traveling with the one called the Hero.

With occasional input from Raskys and Majacen, and, less often, Erik, they told the curious Emperor a few of their adventures on their way here, as well as what they knew of the enemy.

The Grand Duke, seated to the Emperor's right, remained almost entirely silent during the meal in the sumptuously appointed dining hall, his expression studiously neutral.

To Arnak's relief and mild surprise, he made it all the way through the meal without making a single faux pas, something he had been expecting himself to do, unused to so-called 'high society' and its unspoken traditions.

After dinner, Arnak and his companions politely refused the Emperor's offer for them to join him at the royal opera, saying they wished to see to the defenses of the city.

The Bearer of Power, glad to be back in his comfortable traveling clothes once again, walked along the top of the outer city wall, his heavy brown cloak wrapped around him against the cold. It was the middle of autumn, when the nights were beginning to become bitterly cold, especially up here amid the frigid stone of the city walls.

He nodded to one of the guards he passed as he walked over the area where the main city gate cut through the thick wall. The city was practically an impenetrable fortress, from the ground anyway, but the Calatians wanted to avoid testing the city's defenses. The current plan was to mass all the soldiers available in the wide field in front of the city and engage the enemy army before they could reach the walls. Arnak himself would lead the charge, as he had explained to the various generals and commanders that his Triforce of Power made him immortal, invulnerable to all but the most powerful magic and similarly charged weapons, such as the Master Sword or Light Arrows.

He and the men he would be commanding would focus on doing as much damage as possible on the ground while Viserys and the air fleet would try to bomb out the rear ranks of the enemy and cut off their escape. Even if the armies of their foe were enough in number to swarm over the world like ants over a fallen morsel, the loss of nearly eight thousand would still be a major blow to their forces.

Arnak smiled grimly to himself. Were he and the others not here, the outlook of this battle would be vastly different. It was an odd world the blacksmith from a remote mountain village on the other side of the globe had found himself thrust into, a world of vast armies and powerful magic, where one man, armed with a third of an inconceivably powerful artifact, but a single man nonetheless, could turn the tide of a battle merely by being there.

He paused to look out into the inky blackness of the night, the forest draped over the surrounding countryside like an enshrouding cloak, hiding anything that might lay beneath it. His enemy was out there, somewhere, marching inexorably toward this city and a titanic confrontation the likes of which the people of this nation had likely never seen. The big man was at once eager and anxious about the coming battle.

Arnak had never participated in a conflict of this size, had never fought as part of an army, and though he knew he was personally in no danger from the coming foes, he was still concerned that they might break through the lines, reach the city to burn and destroy all that these people knew. He had been among them for not even a full day, and already he felt a sense of protectiveness toward the Calatians.

The soldier standing a few feet away shivered under his cloak, causing his armor to rattle. The man looked over at Arnak, giving him a comradely grimace. "It's cold up here, friend. The wind doesn't help a bit."

"It does not," Arnak replied amiably.

"I can't stand this waiting, either," the soldier said. "This might sound strange, but I wish they'd attack already, so we can destroy them and go back to our lives."

Arnak nodded. "I find myself impatient, also." He smiled in the darkness. "But, you must treasure every moment of peace you have. You cannot know when it will be taken from you."

In an odd twist of fate Arnak would later ponder over, something chose that exact moment to shoot an arrow at him.

Moving so quickly he appeared to blur to the soldier next to him, Arnak's sword flashed out of its scabbard and up to block the arrow headed for his throat. In the next instant, another arrow bounced off the steel of his blade as it moved in front of the soldier's face.

The Bearer of Power shoved the soldier down, even as three more guards along the wall fell back, less fortunate. Arnak strained his eyes, looking down into the darkness for whatever had sent the shots.

_There_. At the point where the major road heading into the city emerged from the forest, he saw a group of beings crouched among the trees, the moonlight reflecting off drawn swords and armor.

"Raise the alarm!" Arnak barked at the soldier he had saved. "It's a surprise attack!"

* * *

The cold of Snowpeak hit Link like a slap in the face, a freezing dagger stabbing down into his bones. It was not a sensation he enjoyed, or had wished to experience again, but here he was. He wished he had remembered to bring along a cloak or a heavy sweater, but he wouldn't be here that long anyway, so he might as well tough it out, he thought.

Link's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone else using the portal, an odd noise, somewhat like chimes, but distorted. He looked over to see Midna re-forming a few feet away, and once she was whole, she gave him a comically indignant glare.

"It was implied that you take me with you, though I realize you may not have figured that part out yet." Before he could respond, she continued, grimacing. "Ugh. I'd forgotten how cold it was up here." She smirked, gesturing at her somewhat revealing attire. "And I'm not exactly dressed for it, either."

With only an impish grin as his warning, Midna jumped forward and disappeared into Link's shadow.

"Much better," came a voice next to his ear. "Just like old times, huh?"

"Uh… yeah," Link said, somewhat taken aback at the rapid series of events. Still, it was a comfortable, familiar feeling, almost like there was someone looking over his shoulder, and while he had hated it in the first weeks of his first journey with Midna, over time he had come to like it, as it was a constant reminder that he was not alone.

"Hey, Mr. Hero. You going to go or just stand there thinking all day? We've got stuff to do, in case you've forgotten."

Link rolled his eyes and shook his head. It _was_ just like old times.

Securing the Icarus Wings on his shoulders, Link decided to fly to the manor instead of taking his usual route of an improvised sled. It would be faster, and he needed the practice, anyway.

The Hero climbed the small hill to where the frozen tree waited, and, getting a running start, jumped as high and as far as he could. As was the usual feeling with using the Icarus Wings, he simply continued his jump further up into the air, quickly settling into a more aerodynamic position and speeding forward.

The endless expanse of white sped by below him, occasionally interrupted by a chasm or a copse of trees, but otherwise featureless. The cold wind bit into his face even more at the speed he was flying, and it was almost painful to keep his eyes open.

After only a few moments of flight, Link spotted the outline of the frozen manor off in the distance and pointed himself toward it, picking up speed. The faster he recovered the Hero of Lightning's equipment, the more time he would have to search the desert for the Gerudo and ask them what was going on.

As Link neared the manor, he blinked in sudden surprise as something small and shiny flew a bare inch from his eyes. Ignoring the urge to slow and investigate, he again increased his speed, rocketing to the snow-covered roof of the frozen mansion.

He felt a few more of the objects pass by him, and only when one bounced off the shield on his back did Link stop for just an instant and snatch the object out of the air before speeding up again and landing on the roof of the manor above the front door.

Taking advantage of his temporary shelter, Link looked at the item he had grabbed. It was a short, roughly made arrow with a piece of sharpened stone as the tip, not a type he recognized.

"Who would be shooting at you out here?" came Midna's voice next to his ear. "I thought only Yetis were out this far."

Link looked back in the direction he had come from, trying to spot any movement among the snow and trees. "I don't know," he murmured, keeping his voice just above a whisper.

He tucked the arrow into his belt and walked over the roof of the mansion to the inner courtyard, dropping down with the aid of the Icarus Wings in front of the door that led to the room with the weapons cache Auru had told him about. The weapons were a priority; his mysterious assailant could wait until he had them.

Once inside, Link looked up at the lower cage, just barely visible from where he was standing. His footsteps echoed slightly in the cold stone room as he made his way up the ramp, and the Hero finally stopped in front of the second and highest cage, remembering what had been in it the last time he had been here.

Apparently, Midna had been doing the same, from what she said to him. "With those big ugly ice monsters in here last time, it's no wonder you missed the trapdoor."

His shadow shifted suddenly, and Midna jumped out of it, stepping down into the cage and looking around. He joined her, planting a hand on the bottom of the gap between the bars and vaulting inside.

Link spotted the handle of the trapdoor first, and he pulled up on it, revealing a hole about two feet square, with a ladder on one side that led down into darkness. He turned to Midna with a grin. "Ladies first."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Just get in there. If there's a monster, I'd rather it ate you first."

Link arched an eyebrow. "That's what I was thinking." He ducked under her playful swing and dropped down the hole, landing solidly on his feet at the bottom. It wasn't much of a drop, about six or seven feet, and he brought out his lantern, calling up for Midna to come down.

He was playing the light of his lantern over the dank stone walls of the chamber when he heard her land behind him, apparently having also jumped rather than use the ladder.

The soft yellow glow of his lantern revealed a tiny stone chamber, roughly cut and undecorated save for a long, white marble sarcophagus, which was open, the lid resting against the side in front of them. Link stepped forward and set his lantern on the rim of the sarcophagus, peering inside.

An array of weapons and armor greeted the Hero, glinting in the light, and he began lifting items out, mentally cataloging what was inside. He carefully put aside the set of armor, making in the first item in the 'leave it here' pile, as he already had a good set of armor. Next, he added the green tunic, which he noted was sleeveless, and the chain-mail underlay that went with it, which bore several scorch marks that, despite obvious attempts at cleaning, were quite large. The Hero of Lightning had obviously been through at least one intense battle, and Link decided to ask Auru or Zelda more about his predecessor the next time he saw them.

Midna reached past him to pull out an item he had been about to go for, a greatsword inscribed with Goron symbols as well as several inscribed lines of lightning swirling across the blade, ending in a Triforce marking just above the hilt.

The Twilight Princess let out a low whistle. "Nice. It's a little big for you, though. I'm thinking this Hero of Lightning fellow was a few inches taller than you if he used this." She gestured to a few battle scars the blade bore as she handed it to him.

The sword was of extremely high quality, about five-and-a-half feet long and almost four inches wide at the base, gradually tapering to a point at the end. The hilt took up a foot and a half of the sword's length, the crosspiece over a foot wide and the hilt made for large, thick hands, like those of Gorons. Despite its age, which had to be over three hundred years, from what Auru had told him of the Hero of Lightning, it was still razor-sharp, and Link thought that he wouldn't hesitate to use it in battle himself.

Or, considering its size and weight, perhaps he would give it to Arnak, as the Hero would have to use both hands to wield it, and he was used to lighter weapons. Seeing there was a scabbard to go with it, Link sheathed the greatsword and set it in what would be the 'keep' pile.

There were two more swords in the cache, one ornately jeweled and decorated, the hilt plated in gold and the scabbard trimmed in what looked like platinum, a string of gold letters running down it that Link recognized as Old Hylian, though he could not read the words. It was obviously ceremonial, and he had no use for it at this time, so he decided to leave it here.

Link lifted out the other sword, which was probably the Hero of Lightning's personal weapon, from its condition and the care that had obviously gone into maintaining it. It reminded Link quite a bit of his Ordon sword, and he was momentarily undecided on whether he would take it with him or not.

He set it aside and looked over what was still inside the sarcophagus. The Goron fire tunic would probably be useful, so he decided to take it, and the bottles of Great Fairy's Tears, also.

Midna gave the piles of equipment a critical glance. "I think you already have the best weapon that was in here. Most of this is stuff you have, anyway."

Link nodded, reaching into his 'pocket' and pulling out the Staff of Lightning. He could feel the power thrumming through it, waiting to be released, and he looked forward to training himself in its use.

"You're right," he said. "We'll leave most of this here. Even if there's no body, this is still a tomb, and we shouldn't take anything we aren't going to need."

They put everything they weren't taking with them back into the sarcophagus, tucking the fire tunic, Great Fairy's Tears, and Goron greatsword into Link's 'pocket', which Midna of course joked that he was lucky to have.

The Hero reverently laid his predecessor's sword on top of the equipment, feeling an odd kinship with the man. He had of course never met the Hero of Lightning, as they were separated by three centuries, but seeing the care he had put into his personal weapon made Link feel like he knew his predecessor, what kind of man he had been. It was a strange feeling, and Link was deep in thought as he closed the lid of the sarcophagus.

He wondered what life had been like for this Hero, what challenges he had overcome and what people he had defended. Had he wielded the Master Sword, as Link did, or was the Staff of Lightning the object of special power he had used in his quest?

Link made his way over to the ladder, bringing himself out of his thoughts. There would be time later for finding out more about his predecessor. Now, he had to find out who had attacked him on his way in here.

Midna followed him up the ladder and down the ramp as he headed for the sitting room near the front of the manor. Link planned to check on the Yetis, as Ashei had told him Yeto had fought with them at the battle in Zora's Domain, but had not been captured with them.

As he stepped into the sitting room, Link noted the cheery blaze in the fireplace and the stack of wood next to it, though there was no one here. He stepped over to the door leading into the kitchen and leaned his head inside, looking around. There was no one here, either.

"Hey, Link! C'mere!" he heard Midna say behind him.

He turned to see her holding up a single black boot, which she gripped by the heel.

"What do you suppose that is?" he said, taking a step closer to look at it.

She smirked. "I'd say it's a boot, Mr. Genius Hero. The better question would be 'What's it doing here?'"

He took the boot from her and looked it over. It was in poor shape, as if it had been frozen for a long time, perhaps years. "I don't think Ashei or the others left it here. Where did it come from?"

There was a sudden thump outside, and Midna raised an eyebrow at the noise. "Maybe that's Mr. Cold-Foot now."

Link felt an odd tingling on the back of his neck, and he unconsciously reached up to rub it. The feeling was very familiar to the Hero, and he'd come to respect it as a sign that something dangerous was nearby. Slowly, he drew his sword and moved to press an ear against the door to the entry hall.

Midna's expression likewise turned serious and she drew her own weapon, standing at the ready just behind him.

Link listened for several moments, during which he heard the distinct sounds of something moving around on the other side of the door. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the noise and gradually formed a guess about what it was. The footsteps were fairly light, and he thought whatever was making them weighed less than three hundred pounds. This ruled out both Yetis, and the pattern was wrong for anything with four feet.

Quietly, he raised his empty hand and made a series of motions letting Midna know what he was about to do. She nodded, and he put his hand on the knob.

Moving with a suddenness designed to startle whatever was on the other side of the door, Link burst into the next room, sweeping his gaze about the frozen entry hall until he located the intruder.

The source of the noises was a large human man, perhaps fifty, with long graying hair and a thick build. He was tall, about six-and-a-half feet, and dressed in roughly made garments of fur and leather, bearing a sword of the kind Link had seen in the mansion's armories.

His eyes widened slightly at Link and Midna's sudden entrance, but he did not otherwise move. Instead, he scowled deeply at them and addressed them in Hylian, with an accent Link had not heard before. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"We could ask you the same thing," Midna said.

The man did not reply. He was staring at Link as if the Hero seemed familiar to him. There was a sudden flash of recognition across the man's face, and his features twisted into a fierce scowl.

He took a slow, menacing step forward, his sword raised. "You were told not to return. You were told the consequences, and now you will face the penalty for ignoring our warning."

Link raised the Master Sword into a guard position. "What are you talking about? I've never seen you before."

The man clapped his hands twice, and a dozen more people dressed similarly to him appeared out of hiding places scattered about the entry hall, weapons drawn. Their leader gestured sharply at the two of them, and the fur-and-leather garbed warriors charged.

* * *

Author's Note: Chapter 30 is in the works, and should be up soon. Much thanks to all who review.

(Revision Note: Fixed grammar errors and improved a couple descriptions, as usual.)


	30. Enemies at the Gate

Thirty

Erik was patrolling the city wall when the alarm was raised. The Sheikah warrior stopped what he was doing, which was checking the release mechanism on a vat of boiling oil, and immediately took off running, sprinting around the edge of the wall to where a soldier was frantically ringing the alarm bell. On his way, he spotted Raskys and Majacen approaching also.

Arnak met them there and quickly briefed them on what was happening. "The enemy army is attacking _now,_ and we need to get the defenses ready as soon as we can." He turned to shout at one of the soldiers on the wall near them. "Get the civilians into the inner keep! And tell the cavalrymen to get ready as quickly as they can." The soldier nodded and moved off down the wall, calling orders out to a few of his fellow soldiers.

Raskys cursed. "Viserys won't be back for two days with our army. They're still getting ready right now. What are we going to do?"

Erik pointed over the edge of the wall to the field below. "We fight! Get word to your commander to bring as many soldiers here as he can, and quickly! If he arrives in time, we still may be able to repulse the assault."

Majacen looked down into the darkness, a grim expression on his face beneath his long beard. "Whatever we are going to do, we must do it quickly. The enemy is rapidly approaching."

The four of them looked out at the sea of torches flaring into existence below. There were so many that it appeared the field around the city and the forest beyond were ablaze. The footsteps were like rolling, crashing thunder, and as they approached, several thousand deep voices took up a war chant in a language Erik did not know. The effect was unnerving, and the warrior found his hand straying to the hilt of his sword.

Calatian soldiers poured onto the wall, spreading out along the battlements with bows and spears, manning the catapults and the vats of oil. Their helmets reflected the moonlight as they dashed about their appointed tasks, a sense of panicked urgency about them.

Next to Erik, Arnak's mouth had set into a determined line, his dark eyes darting over the enemy line as he scrutinized their movements. He turned to the Sheikah warrior. "Call the Hero and tell him to return immediately! We will need his help for this battle."

He next turned to the wizard. "Majacen, coordinate the defense on the wall until Jouglas and his commanders get up here. Raskys, get word to Burgoyne to ready his soldiers and call Viserys for reinforcements."

"What are you going to do?" Raskys asked.

The Bearer of Power swept his gaze over the enemy line again. The sea of torches had halted a few hundred yards from the city walls, and the thunderous footsteps continued as the opposing army readied their formation. Erik could see several catapults being set up, and dozens of siege wagons pulled by long teams of hulking, indistinct shapes followed, battering rams swinging with the movement inside the tall wooden frameworks.

"I am going to charge," Arnak said. "Whatever cavalry we can muster will come with me, in an attempt to slow them down and keep them from reaching the city until our reinforcements arrive and our defenses are fully in place."

Raskys cursed again, virulently. "How did they manage to get all this here so quickly? The last report from the scouts said the army was still at least four days away."

"There will be time for that later. Now, we must get ready." Arnak pointed a thick finger at Erik. "Come with me."

Raskys and Majacen went off to their appointed tasks, and Erik followed the big man down the steps of the guardhouse, dodging running soldiers still fastening armor or weapons belts, their faces grimly determined as they prepared to defend their home. Erik recognized from his own scouting that he and Arnak were headed for the armory.

The Sheikah warrior brought out his Gossip Stone, calling Link as they went. There was no answer, and Erik tried several more times as they ran through the stone corridors, growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of response.

Arnak halted at the armory door, allowing a group of soldiers to go past him. "Is Link on his way?"

Erik held up the silent stone. "I can get no answer!"

An angry scowl crossed the big man's features. "What could he possibly be doing that he will not answer? Is he out of range?"

Erik shook his head. "There's no limit to the range on these. I don't understand it!"

Arnak entered the armory. "Try every ten minutes when you can. I was going to have you accompany me on the charge, but you must stay here, as you are our only conduit to the Hero." His hands clenched in frustration. "It appears we must do this without him, then."

Erik sighed angrily. "It looks that way. Where is he?"

* * *

Zelda was sitting with her father when a sudden intense headache overwhelmed her senses. Incredibly powerful Shadow magic was being used nearby, and Zelda instantly recognized it as the sorcerer she and the others in the Company had been sensing.

An icy lance of fear stabbed through her suddenly, and her fingers instinctively found the hilt of her rapier. The sorcerer was _here_, in the forest. He had broken through the Deku Tree's defenses and was in the village, threatening the people here.

The princess's first thought was to call Link with her Gossip Stone, but even after three attempts, he did not answer.

Shunting aside the concerns that sprang from this, Zelda drew her sword and rushed outside to the sound of panic. The struggle between the powers of the Deku Tree and those of the sorcerer was almost tangible, and her headache immediately worsened, until she could barely see. Bringing up more of her protective mental barriers eased the pain, but she still felt a throbbing ache behind her eyes.

Zelda looked around the village to see the animals panicking and the refugees trying to calm them. Several children were crying, and the general mood was one of confusion. She realized that none of these people could sense the struggle, just that something was wrong.

Deep, agonized groaning sounded through her mind, the voice of the Deku Tree in great pain. The malevolent presence increased whatever it was doing until the noise threatened to split her skull from the pain. Zelda threw up more barriers, but nothing could stop the almost palpable agony radiating from the forest guardian. Several people out in the village were pressing their hands against their heads, she saw, and the frenzied shrieking of the animals almost overrode the incredible din.

With a sudden flash of bright golden light, Zelda's Triforce manifested and her pain faded. She felt her thinking sharpen as the power of the Triforce of Wisdom flooded through her, and Hyrule's Princess sprang into action.

Throwing off her cloak, she sprinted for the Deku Tree's meadow, running past the panicking people and animals and into the clearing. The first thing she spotted upon entering was an enormous dark shape framed by the massive Deku Tree. The forest guardian's pain was plainly evident as the shape spread its arms, a gray light shining from its right hand.

Zelda approached the unknown assailant, her sword held at the ready in front of her, and as she drew closer, the gigantic cloaked man suddenly paused, and the Deku Tree's agony faded. The shape turned around, and she could see that he had glowing yellow eyes under his enshrouding hood.

Without warning, Zelda felt a sudden powerful attack on her mental barriers, and she gritted her teeth against the pain, concentrating on making sure her barriers held. The attack kept up for several long moments, seeming to stretch on into forever, but abruptly, it lessened and the cloaked man folded his arms.

"Impressive," said a chillingly familiar voice. "Your powers are considerable, even for a Triforce Bearer. But they are not enough."

The cloaked man suddenly surged forward, his hand outstretched to grasp her throat. Zelda reacted almost without thinking, slashing out at the hand with her sword as she jumped out of the way.

Her strike did not land, and a sword erupted out of the swirling cloak to swing at her. It came crashing down in a powerful overhand strike that Zelda had no chance of blocking, so she rolled out of the way instead. The sword, its blade black as midnight, bit deep into a tree root, and the cloaked man pulled it free with a powerful jerk of his arm.

The two paused for a moment, sizing one another up again. The glowing yellow eyes of Zelda's opponent were amused as he twirled his sword through a complicated arc, taking a slow step towards her.

It was then that Zelda recognized the sword. It was a jet-black twin of the Master Sword with a blood-red gem set into the hilt; the Sword of Darkness, Ganondorf's copy of the Blade of Evil's Bane, designed to match the sacred weapon's power and negate it. It had last been seen in the Antihero's possession, but he had not been armed with it when the Hero's Company captured the creature aboard a Balacruf warship. What was this person doing with it?

"Who are you?" Zelda said, trying to keep her voice firm.

The cloaked man chuckled darkly. "I am one against whom you are nothing."

She peered into the hood, but was not able to see anything other than the glowing yellow eyes. "Ganondorf?"

The yellow eyes narrowed. "No." The sorcerer raised his sword until its point was aimed at her before speaking again. "Where are the other two Bearers? Why are they not with you?"

Zelda raised her weapon into a guard position. "I will tell you nothing."

"That," said the cloaked man, pausing slightly, "is a matter of small consequence. You have told me what I want to know already. The mere fact that your protector is not here is his greatest mistake. He cares deeply for you, yes?"

Zelda remained silent, giving him only a determined glare as a reply.

The cloaked mage radiated dark amusement. "Very well. Be difficult. It will gain you nothing."

Zelda heard a sudden clatter, the rattle of weapons and armor, and as she turned to look, a dozen warriors burst into the clearing, Rusl and Ivan among the ones she recognized. The tall cloaked man's amusement was even more apparent, and she thought she saw a predatory grin form in the shadows of the mage's hood.

"Your Majesty!" Rusl said, stepping toward her. "Are you all right?"

The cloaked mage answered for her. "She is, but I am afraid the same cannot be said for you." One hand reached up to the clasp of the mysterious man's cloak and undid it, grasping the heavy black fabric and flinging it aside.

A gasp escaped Zelda at the sight of the man's face. It was all too familiar, that of the Dark Lord Ganondorf, albeit somewhat younger than she remembered him.

Confusion dominated her thoughts. He had specifically said he was not Ganondorf. Who was this?

The warriors rushed the mage, and he slashed his sword at them in a sweeping arc. A red wave of power rushed out of the weapon and knocked the warriors back like leaves in a strong wind, flinging them back against the trees surrounding the clearing.

"Who are you?" Zelda asked the man again.

His eyes shone with a malevolent yellow light. "You will know who I am soon enough." He again reached out a hand to take hold of her, striding forward, but abruptly stopped several feet away. His mouth opened wide in a triumphant grin, his glowing yellow eyes moving to look at a point above Zelda's head.

"Even better!" he said, more to himself than to her.

Zelda turned to see what he was looking at, curious, but saw only the forest behind her. She was startled when the man with Ganondorf's face walked right past her, headed for the main village, as if he had forgotten she was there.

The princess ran after him, trying to see where he was headed. He strode through the crowd of refugees in a straight line, shoving aside any who did not get out of his way, ignoring their protests and gasps of fear at his appearance. He had sheathed his sword and now raised his right hand, the one shining with a gray light, extending one finger to point at someone in the crowd.

"You!" he boomed. "Stay where you are."

Zelda strained to see over the heads of the crowd, trying to find who the dark man was pointing at. The people were packed together too closely to allow her to see anything, and next she heard a grunt of annoyance from the dark man.

He waved his hand almost casually, and the world abruptly went black. Oddly disconnected, she felt a sudden sense of falling, the bodies around her collapsing as well, and Zelda heard a scream of terror before she hit the ground and lost consciousness.

* * *

Viserys looked through the glass at the two Oocca prisoners, separated by a wall running down the middle of the interrogation room. Their eyes were bright and alert, and they projected no threat whatsoever, just a hint of boredom mixed with fear. It was puzzling; their demeanor did not suggest captured enemy soldiers, as he had been expecting. They were more like frightened civilians than anything else.

The Mercenary King gestured to Philos and Shad, and the three of them headed in to see the first prisoner. One of his commanders, General Nelson, would be interrogating the other prisoner.

"Oh, thank the Goddesses! You have no idea what I've been though," the bird-man said as they entered, his tone frightened. "They're all dead! Kyron and his enforcer killed them all!"

"Calm down." Viserys said. "I am going to ask you some questions. Will you answer truthfully?"

The Oocca nodded, his eyes darting around the tiny room. "Yes, fine. Just don't hurt me!"

Viserys nudged a glass of water toward the bird-man. "You will not be harmed." Suspecting the Oocca's fear to be an act, he met the bird-man's eyes and put the full force of his will behind his glare. "As long as you do not attempt to deceive me."

The Oocca shook his feathered head violently. "No, no I won't. Anything I can tell you, I will. What do you want to know?"

"Who is Kyron?"

The Oocca took a sip of water before answering, his hand shaking as he set the glass back down on the table. "He was the commander of our ceremonial military. We hadn't been at war in a thousand years until he seized power, and any soldiers we had were really just for show. He was always bloodthirsty, but none of us could have imagined what he was about to do. He was always talking about how we should enslave the surface-dwellers again, but none of us ever really listened to him until it was too late."

"What happened?" asked Shad.

Viserys was still puzzling over the significance of the _again_ in the Oocca's last statement, and would make it his next question.

"It happened very suddenly. Over the course of only a few months, all of the elders died, either in accidents or supposedly from natural causes. Kyron was crowned our ruler, and from there it's just been one long nightmare." The bird-man looked up at them, horror in his eyes at the memories. "Can you imagine not being in control over your own body? Or to have your mind forcibly reconditioned to make you more suggestible to orders? A presence dictating your every move?"

Viserys nodded slightly. "I had a brief experience with your mind control. It was… unpleasant. You said Kyron wanted to enslave the surface-dwellers 'again'. What do you mean?"

The bird-man looked at him strangely for a moment before recognition dawned on his features. "Oh, your history doesn't go back that far, does it? It's common knowledge to us, of course, but we've been around for a very long time."

"How long?" Shad asked.

The Oocca leaned back slightly in his chair, his fear and panic apparently forgotten for the moment. "Our earliest texts date from around six thousand years ago, but we are hardly the world's oldest civilization. There were those who had achieved travel between the worlds when we were still developing our written language."

Viserys held up a hand. "You can tell these two anything about your history they want to know later. For now, I want to know why you said 'again'. Did your race enslave ours once before?"

"Well, yes. That's how your culture came into being. Our ancestors used your kind to serve as slaves."

"I knew it!" Shad crowed triumphantly. "My father had been saying that the Sky People created humans for years, and nobody believed him. They thought he was interpreting the carvings wrong."

The bird-man shook his head. "No, no. We didn't create your people ourselves. You were already there, but extremely primitive. Our civilization was already very advanced when we discovered you, and the Oocca of that time decided that your race would make excellent servants." The Oocca peered closer at Shad. "Ah, you are Hylian! We used to maintain contact with your royal family after the Great Rebellion."

Viserys studied the Oocca for a moment. "Interesting. But, I am more interested in what you are doing now. To start, you can tell me how many of those flying fortresses are in operation."

The bird-man was deep in thought for a moment. "There were twenty-five in the first group that was commissioned. The prototype disappeared on one of its testing runs and hasn't been heard from since, and I know at least four have self-destructed in battles with your fleet. The one I was on was sent to destroy a village in the southern part of Hyrule, but we were badly damaged by some sort of powerful magic attack and drifted for days."

The Mercenary King slowly nodded, doing calculations in his head. "Yes, I captured that one and used it to destroy another fortress that was attacking my ship. With all that have been destroyed, that makes sixteen still in operation, minus the one we captured yesterday." He looked over at the Oocca. "Are there more being built?"

"I worked briefly at the shipyards while my fortress was being constructed. There must be at least thirty more in the final stages of construction by now."

Viserys frowned grimly; he had feared that more were being built. "Do you know where the shipyards are?" he asked, already forming plans.

The Oocca shook its head. "All our cities are totally mobile. There is no fixed position for any of them."

Viserys stood. "You have told me what I wished to know at this time. If you wish to discuss your history with Shad, feel free to do so."

Beckoning Philos to follow him, Viserys left the interrogation room to find General Nelson waiting outside. He acknowledged Nelson's salute and paused for a moment to confer with Philos.

"I want you to talk to this prisoner more later. Ask him everything he knows about the mind-control crystals, and see if you can find out why he is no longer under any influence."

Philos rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It might be because he's been away from any crystals for a few weeks. I don't really know anything about Shadow magic, so I suppose you'd have to ask a mage about that, sir."

"Let me know what you find out," Viserys said. Philos nodded and moved off to fetch his notebooks from his office, and Viserys turned to General Nelson to see what he had learned. "Did your prisoner provide any useful information?"

Nelson nodded, his one good eye amused. "The prisoner was most helpful, sir. Didn't act at all the way I expected him to, but he answered all my questions. He says they've got more than a million troops total in their ground army and he thinks some powerful sorcerer is helping their king, who he said was named Kyron."

Viserys nodded. "Compile a full report, and we'll spread the information to the fleet commanders." He looked over at the other man grimly, his tone grave. "There are still sixteen fortresses in operation, but thirty more are being constructed in their shipyards."

Nelson swore. "We're having enough trouble just with the ones that are out there now! We have to find those shipyards quickly and destroy them!"

"It is already at the top of our priority list," Viserys replied. At the sound of running footsteps, he turned to see a soldier dashing down the corridor towards him, a piece of paper clutched in his hand.

"Sir!" The soldier yelled out. "This just came in. Belakar City is under attack!"

"What? I thought the enemy army was still days away from the city. We're not ready yet!" General Nelson said, his hands clenching into fists.

"That is what they were counting on," said Viserys. "Scramble the troops. Any that are ready to fight, pack onto any warships that will fly and get them to the city as soon as possible. Every minute counts."

* * *

Arnak passed his gaze over the rows of armor and weapons in the armory. He spoke quickly to the sergeant in charge of the armory, and discovered that the only armor that would fit a man of his size was a large shirt of chain-mail. He put it on, frowning as he noted that it was still a little too tight, and pulled his jerkin over the top of it. Next, he buckled on his sword-belt and checked his weapons, his mind on the coming melee.

All of the helmets were too small, and Arnak decided that he would just have to rely on his Triforce for protection. He still did not want to solely rely on it, as he would shortly be involved in heavy fighting and he would be concentrating on the battle, but Zelda had told him that the protection the Triforce of Power provided its bearer was a passive effect and did not require concentration anyway. Still, he wished his armor was a little heavier, for the kind of fighting he'd be doing.

Once he was outside, Arnak selected a horse from the guard stables and handed the reins to a page, then went back up to the top of the wall. He found Majacen directing a line of archers, crouched behind the battlements.

"What are they doing now?" he asked the wizard.

"They have halted, and are preparing their siege weapons," Majacen replied. "I have been watching for any flying fortresses, but none have shown themselves. If you are going to charge them, I suggest you do it quickly, before they begin to advance."

Arnak nodded, looking out over the battlefield and the thousands of torches spread out across it. The armor of the enemy soldiers gleamed in the moonlight and the torchlight, and he could hear the rustling and clanking even from up here, oddly distorted by the numbers and the distance. Arnak quickly estimated that Darknuts made up nearly a third of the enemy army, accompanied by thousands of Bulblins, Lizalfos, and other monstrous creatures.

He was turning to go when he heard his name called out and armor rattling as someone ran up the stairs. Arnak turned to see the Grand Duke approaching, dressed in full plate armor and bearing a shield embossed with the royal coat of arms.

The Grand Duke flipped up the visor on his helmet, looking up at Arnak. "I am told you are riding in the charge. We have nearly five hundred cavalrymen ready to go, and a hundred knights besides that." He narrowed his eyes and a hint of his arrogance came through as he looked Arnak over. "I suppose they didn't have any armor big enough for you."

Arnak returned his glare, having no patience for the heir's rudeness. "They did not," he said tersely. "Is the charge ready?"

The Grand Duke scoffed. "It is, though I question the wisdom of it. Our warriors will be able to do nothing against a force that large. We are riding to our deaths. We should stay in the city and outlast them from here."

Majacen pointed down at the enemy army. "A charge from us will be the last thing they expect. With the Bearer of Power at the lead, we will catch them by surprise and disrupt their tactics until our reinforcements arrive. This first charge is largely a distraction, and will be pulled back into the city once the airships arrive. The catapults and archers will provide support."

The Grand Duke reached up and closed his visor. "Very well then," he said to Arnak. "Show me your worth, Triforce Bearer. I will pull the men back the moment we start to lose ground. The capital's walls are thick enough to withstand this siege, if we must." His tone made it plain that he much preferred this plan, but he was willing to ride in the charge anyway. He was not a coward, at least.

He accompanied Arnak down to the city gate, and the two of them mounted their horses just in front of it. Hundreds more mounted troops gathered in a line behind them down the main street of the city, and when the Grand Duke signaled his readiness, there was a great clattering of movement as hundreds of swords slid free of their scabbards. Arnak could tell the men were nervous, but their resolve was obvious. Even if they died tonight, they would die defending their loved ones, and there was no more honorable death.

The thick city gates opened ponderously, and the moment there was enough space, Arnak dug his heels into his horse's sides and charged forward, the thunder of the hooves of the men with him echoing off the walls.

When he was out in the open field, the riders executed their superb training and spread out in a line on either side of him, their formation resembling a giant arrowhead with Arnak and the Grand Duke at the tip. The surprise of the enemy was evident, and Arnak's sharp eyes picked out that many of them were sitting around fires, not expecting to attack until morning. It was a deadly gamble, charging them now with this few men and at night, and would be absolutely foolish without a Triforce Bearer at the head.

But, the rules of war did not apply to those blessed by the Goddesses. Arnak's Triforce shone brightly, like a miniature sun in the darkness, as he raised his sword over his head and spurred his horse to go faster. The wide expanse of the field flew by, the enemy army drawing closer and closer.

The line of cavalry crashed into the edge of the enemy army like a tidal wave, knocking the first few rows of monsters back with the sheer force of their speed. Shouts and shrieks echoed about the battlefield as the fighting commenced in earnest, the monsters scrambling to get back into formation.

Flushed with the adrenaline of battle, Arnak was like a cyclone on the battlefield, leaving a swath of destruction in his wake. Everywhere his sword flashed, it left death, and he did not slow the speed of his charge, swinging at anything that got in his way as he made for the nearest siege wagon. The huge construct towered overhead, the size of a two-story house, and would be the first thing against which he would pit his power. The more destruction he caused out here, he knew, the less these things would be able to bring against the Calatians.

Arrows fell like deadly rain around Arnak, and he swatted aside any that threatened him or his horse with his sword, smiling grimly as dozens of too-slow Bulblins and Lizalfos were hit with friendly fire aimed at him. When he was almost to the siege wagon, he tensed his legs and leaped from the saddle onto the lowest level, just below the battering ram.

Shrieking Bulblins jumped in his way, swinging their clubs at him, and he smashed them aside like insects, his sword moving with furious speed as he made his way higher on the construct, dodging arrows and swings from enemy weapons, retaliating with brutal force. The tide of battle flowed through Arnak, and he was acting almost entirely on instinct, seeing only his next objective. Reaching his destination, he paused for a moment to draw deeply on his Triforce before driving his fist into one of the supporting beams of the siege wagon. It splintered with the force of his blow, and he drove an elbow into it next, destroying the beam entirely.

With an ominous creaking sound, the upper level of the siege wagon started to totter, and Arnak crashed his way through the remaining Bulblins and destroyed the next beam with a powerful blow. He jumped free of the wagon as it began to collapse, and rolled to his feet once on the ground. Arnak paused to swat aside a charging Lizalfos as he watched the siege wagon crumble, and grinned as the construct toppled over onto a formation of Bokoblins.

The big man did not pause to celebrate his first victory and found his horse, jumping back into the saddle and continuing his path of decimation across the battlefield to where the rest of the soldiers fought. He ducked under a flying missile, launched by one of the catapults on the city wall, and watched as it smashed into the base of a nearby siege wagon, wrecking it completely. The huge battering ram broke free of the destroyed structure, and several Lizalfos were crushed as it rolled off down the slope of the battlefield.

Arnak could see similar missiles taking out patches of enemies in the back of their formation, and a great cloud of choking unnatural smoke soon hung over the battle, limiting visibility even further.

The Grand Duke, his armor stained with blood and other residue, was fighting nearby, trading blows atop his horse with a standing Darknut. With a mighty swing, the gigantic armored warrior cut the Grand Duke's horse out from under him and whirled its blade over its head to build up momentum to end the heir's life.

The stroke never fell. Arnak, charging by, shortened the Darknut by several inches with a powerful slash and snatched the Grand Duke's outstretched gauntlet, pulling him up onto the back of his horse.

In the next moment, he vaulted from the saddle to tackle another of the armored giants, stabbing his sword right through its breastplate with the force of his strike. He sheathed his sword, then stooped to pick up the Darknut's dropped shield.

Gripping its straps tightly, he knocked aside a group of Bulblins running towards him and then dropped it, gripping the shield by the edge and tensing his Triforce-enhanced muscles. He hurled the shield like a discus at a formation of Lizalfos, and it spun right through the creatures, continuing on to slice through the neck of a catapult that was in the process of launching. The missile it had been about to fling crashed down on top of the Bulblins manning it, who had time only to shriek in fear before they disappeared.

Grinning in satisfaction, Arnak looked up to see a huge winged shape eclipse the moon, followed by several more. At last! Viserys was here!

Arnak turned back to the Grand Duke, now mounted on his horse. "Signal your men to pull back and for the city catapults to intensify their barrage to cover it. The airships are starting their bombing run!"

The Grand Duke's helmeted head nodded and he spurred the horse off. Arnak remained on foot, battling the endless line of enemies swarming around him, and decided to get a better look at the battlefield.

He sprinted for the nearest intact siege wagon, and once he reached it, the big man quickly climbed up its side and swatted aside any enemies that got in his way, until he was standing atop the massive construct. Looking out over the battlefield, he could see in the moonlight and torchlight that perhaps a fifth of the enemy army had been destroyed so far, and thousands more stood ready at the back of the formation, still trying to move forward.

The Grand Duke was leading the retreat of the cavalry, and Arnak could see the enemies pursuing them, dodging around the missiles launched by the catapults atop the city walls. Arrows flying forth like swarms of locusts cut down hundreds of monsters, but still they came, pressing forward through sheer strength of numbers.

With a series of massive explosions that created a wall of fire at the rear of the enemy formation, the airships commenced their bombing runs, cutting off any possible retreat and leaving a huge swath of flame through the middle of the enemy army. A deep, growling voice shouted orders over the incredible din of battle, several horns accompanying it, and to Arnak's surprise and anger, the entire force surged forward like a rushing tide, moving with all speed for the city walls. The siege wagon he was standing atop started rolling forward with the enemies' charge, and he steadied himself, looking over at the city.

The massive doors finally closed behind the last of the survivors of his charge, and with an echoing clang, the portcullis slammed closed and the drawbridge began to raise. The functioning catapults under enemy control began flinging debris at the city walls, knocking huge chunks of masonry loose. The catapults atop the walls flung the rubble right back out at the advancing enemies, but the charge was not slowed.

One warship swooped low over the front of the enemy line and unleashed a furious barrage directly in front of them, knocking monsters and rubble high into the air with the force of the explosions, but the monsters continued through the curtain of flame, dashing like stampeding cattle for the walls of the city, pulling their siege wagons along with jarring speed.

Arnak was just about to jump down from his perch atop the siege wagon when, with a rumble that shook the ground, an Oocca flying fortress careened in with impossible speed and rammed several of the Balacruf warships out of its way before dropping an incredible amount of bombs on the main city gate. The gate in flames, the fortress suddenly reversed direction and headed back out over the battlefield, leaving behind a fantastic amount of destruction wreaked in the space of only a few seconds.

As Arnak watched, the fortress dropped extremely low to the ground at the center of the enemy formation and dozens of hatches opened up on the underside of the flying fortress, disgorging hundreds of enemy reinforcements to replace almost every monster that had been killed by Arnak's charge.

A profound sense of dread settled over the big man; the situation had gone from hopeful to devastating in only a few moments. He realized he was now alone on the battlefield, but that did not matter to him.

They were hugely outnumbered, the gate had been destroyed, and there was now nothing to keep the enemy army from flooding into the city. The remaining warships were now occupied with the flying fortress and could not provide backup. The Hero was nowhere to be found, but even Arnak using his Triforce of Power had been unable to slow the enemy army.

Unless something went drastically wrong with the enemy advance, they were doomed.

* * *

Zelda could not guess how much time had passed when she finally awoke, so severe was her headache when she regained consciousness. As the world regained form around her, she realized she was still in the forest, surrounded by hundreds of panicked refugees.

A young woman with long dark hair approached her, a wailing child on her hip, and panic and fear in her own eyes. "Who was that man, milady? What was he doing here?"

Zelda shook her head slightly, wincing at the pain this caused. "I do not know. But, I will try to find out. If you would do me a favor?"

The woman nodded, trying to shush her child. "Of course, milady."

"Please go around the village and help me make sure everyone is all right. If you hear anything about someone missing, let me know immediately."

"Yes, milady."

Zelda smiled at her. "Thank you."

The princess moved off, sheathing her rapier when she realized it was still in her hand. What had that man wanted? Who had he been pointing at before he knocked her and the others out?

From his questions and statements after she confronted him, Zelda assumed that the dark man had meant to take her hostage and force Link into a confrontation with her as leverage. But then he had stopped and said something about 'even better'. Did that mean he had found a more suitable hostage? Who else was here that Link cared enough about to allow himself to be forced into a confrontation for their sake?

Well, she amended, that was everyone here, as protecting Hyrule's citizens was the Hero's duty, but it would have to be someone he cared for personally, someone that would cloud his judgment if they were placed in extreme danger; that much she had been able to discern from the dark man.

Evidently, Zelda herself was not that kind of hostage, as she was still here. Someone from Link's home village, perhaps? Looking around, Zelda saw Colin helping an elderly man to his feet, and not far away, Ilia was talking to another girl Zelda recognized as being from Link's village, a small boy with dark hair occasionally joining in the conversation.

Further examination revealed that everyone she knew the Hero counted among his personal friends was still here, as were all residents of Ordon.

Hyrule's Princess was puzzled. The dark man had pointed someone out in the crowd and shoved everyone else aside to get to that individual. She searched her memory, trying to dredge up clues as to the hostage's identity.

About the only thing she knew was that the hostage was a woman, as the scream of terror just before she had lost consciousness was definitely feminine. Zelda had not been able to see her face, and no one she recognized appeared to be searching for someone.

Who had the dark man taken, and what was her connection to the Hero?

* * *

Author's Note: Ooh, more cliffhangers! ;) Next chapter will be what Link and Midna were up to while all this was going on, so you can look forward to that while I get it finished. Chapter 31 will be up soon!

(Revision Note: I reworded several parts of this chapter to improve the flow and get rid of a passive voice problem, but changed none of the plot, as with the rest of my revisions. Thanks for reading!)


	31. Revealing of Secrets

_Author's Note: If you haven't read my other story, 'Hero's Origin', I suggest you do so, as this is the point in this story where it becomes relevant to the plot._

Thirty-One

Midna spun to the side to avoid a charging warrior, lashing out to catch the man in the back of the head with her foot as he passed. With a grunt, he collapsed to the ice-covered floor of the entry hall and the Twilight Princess moved on to her next opponent.

Link had already knocked out four of the mountain warriors, and was now engaged in a duel with their leader. The Hero was fighting to incapacitate or knock out, but the gigantic man was definitely trying to kill Link, from the savage ferocity of his blows.

One of the warriors, a woman, readied a spear to hurl into Link's back, but Midna took her out with a flying kick, then snatched up the spear and tripped another warrior who was headed off to aid his leader. Yet another of the warriors, springing up from where Midna had knocked him earlier, ran past her, and she threaded the spear between his legs, twisting the haft suddenly to the side and flipping him into one of the wooden pillars supporting one of the wrecked staircases.

She sheathed the Twilight Blade and used the spear as her weapon instead, knowing she had less chance of accidentally inflicting a fatal wound with it. Link would be wanting to question these people, and it wouldn't do to get them any angrier with him by killing one of them.

The leader of the mountain warriors had driven Link up the right-hand staircase, hacking and slashing and shouting what were probably obscenities in a language Midna didn't recognize. The Hero continued to skillfully block the larger man's blows with his shield and the flat of his sword, and appeared to be focusing on disarming his opponent.

Sensing someone attempting to sneak up on her from behind, Midna suddenly dropped to the floor in a spin kick, knocking the warrior's legs out from under her, and caught the woman in the chin with her fist on the way down.

Glancing about the room, Midna determined that there were twelve mountain warriors in all, including the leader. Seven were unconscious, one man was leaning against a suit of armor near the outer door nursing his left arm, which was probably broken, and the other three were watching the fight between Link and their leader, waiting for the right chance to interrupt.

With a final push, the man knocked Link back into the hole in the staircase, but the Hero jumped at the last second and landed on the Yeti-sized ladder on the other side of the hole. He scrambled up it and stood at the top of the staircase, leveling his weapon at the leader of the mountain warriors.

"All right, that's enough!" Link said heatedly. "Why are you attacking me?"

The man stood breathing heavily at the other edge of the hole. "Because you have ignored our warning and returned. We told you to stay away. Did killing your uncle have no effect on you?"

Link lowered his sword, his puzzlement obvious on his face. "What?"

The man pointed up at him with one large hand. "Do not try to pretend you do not know what I am talking about. You were there."

Midna stepped forward, casually passing the three warriors still standing at the foot of the staircase. "Hey, I think he really doesn't know what you're talking about. He's never mentioned any uncle to me, least of all one you killed."

Link nodded, looking down at the man from his perch at the top of the wrecked staircase. "She's right. I think you have me confused with someone else."

The man sneered. "Do not lie to me, boy. Even a blind man would be able to tell you are a Fenris." He spat the name as if it were a curse. "You are obviously the son, returned to claim what your parents left behind here with a flagrant disregard for our warning."

Midna raised an eyebrow. He was certainly well-spoken for someone who looked like a primitive. Then what he had said registered in her mind. What about Link's parents?

Link's face slipped into a mixture of surprise and confusion. "What do you mean?"

The man looked taken aback. "You genuinely do not know what I am talking about? Why would your parents never tell you of what happened to them here?"

"You knew my parents?" Link said, shocked.

"You do not?" the man asked, apparently equally surprised.

The Hero shook his head. "No, I think they died when I was little. I don't remember much about them."

"This is not an untruth?" The mountain warrior narrowed his eyes.

Link shook his head again. "No, I really never knew them." He sheathed the Master Sword, sitting down on the few remaining steps at the top of the staircase. "They were here?"

The man gestured at the three remaining warriors, who moved off to see to their fallen companions. He sheathed his own weapon and pointed up at the portraits that hung between them over the staircase, speaking calmly, but with an undercurrent of deep-seated anger.

"Three centuries ago, a man named Endrew Fenris came to these mountains and opened a mine, tunneling deep underground and uncovering many treasures. He built this mansion to guard the only entrance to his mine, and he and his family lived here in splendor until Endrew died. His son was much greedier than his father, and he was bent on getting as much profit as he could out of the mines.

"So, on his order, a group of his soldiers went deep into one of the outlying provinces of Hyrule and kidnapped an entire village of humans. No one would miss them, he thought, and besides, humans were inferior to Hylians anyway, from their inability to use magic. The people who were already working in the mines were enslaved, also, and for the next two hundred years, the Fenris family forced their descendants to work their mines, beating, starving, and killing those who objected to their treatment.

"Something happened in Hyrule, and the last Fenris lord, Randall, disappeared suddenly, supposedly captured by royal troops. The slaves saw this as an opportunity and rose up, wiping out the entire guard force and continuing here, to this mansion, where we put an end to the Fenris family, our oppressors. Randall's third son, the last left alive, begged for his life and told my ancestors that there was a great treasure hidden deep under the manor in a secret chamber built by Endrew, and that he would help my ancestors find it if they spared him."

"Did they spare him?" Midna asked.

The mountain warrior turned to her, his face hard. "No. His family had forfeited his life through their crimes. No Fenris is deserving of life."

"What does this have to do with me?" Link asked.

The man turned back to him. "This manor sat empty for nearly a century, and my ancestors moved off into the mountains, to keep eternal watch over it and ensure that no one attempted to use the mines again. No one would desecrate the place where our forebears died by the hundreds under the cruel hand of yours. That is, until almost twenty years ago, when two men came through the mountains and entered the manor and the mines, returning several months later with a force of workers.

"Over the next four years, despite our repeated attempts to encourage them to leave, they remained and worked the mines, blatantly disrespecting the memory of our ancestors who had been enslaved there. It was only in the last few months before we finally drove them out did I discover that these men were the last of the Fenris family, come back to try and make a profit off their old mines. This made them deserving of death, and so when they left, I ended one of them.

"The other's wife begged for his life, and I spared him for the sake of his son." The man pointed a gloved finger at Link, glaring at him. "You. I am certain you are the same boy. I now see that I may have made a mistake then, sparing your father. Even if you claim you did not know him, you are here once more, and that tells me you are after the same thing as he: whatever treasure your ancestors supposedly hid here." The mountain warrior drew his sword again. "Now you see why you must die. I will not spare you, as you have wasted my previous generosity by coming back here."

Midna could see Link was shocked beyond words, and understandably so, so she stepped forward, blocking the man's way with her spear. "Hey! It doesn't matter if he's a Fenris. You know what else he is?" She gestured at Link with her other hand. "He's the Hero. You know what that is?"

The mountain warrior sneered. "A lie. No one with his evil blood could ever be chosen by the Goddesses to be the Hero. You insult me with the implication."

Midna levitated up to stand next to Link, who still hadn't said a word. "Believe me or not. This is not an evil man, no matter what his ancestors might have done." She tossed the spear aside. "It's an atrocity what happened to your ancestors, and I'm sorry you're so full of hate, but you won't be killing him."

Ignoring the mountain warrior's enraged shout, Midna spread her arms and the two of them broke into black squares, leaving the manor behind.

* * *

They re-formed on a solitary mesa in the Gerudo Desert, and Midna herded Link down the nearby stairs and into the first chamber of the Cave of Ordeals, where it was a little cooler. He would definitely need a few minutes' rest after what had happened back at the manor.

Link sat down, his feet hanging over the ledge, and the Hero stared at the far wall without seeing it. He felt Midna sit down next to him, and knew without looking that her expression was concerned.

She nudged his arm. "Hey. You okay?"

He sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a lot to take in."

Midna patted his hand. "It's not every day you find out who your family was. We can stay here as long as you want. You want to talk about it?"

"It's… It's a lot to find out at once. Not only were my parents in that mansion, but all that it means, what he said." Link took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. "He was telling the truth, too. I think I remember that mansion, from when I was little. I thought that it was sort of familiar the last time we were there, but now I know why."

He paused for a long while. "I remember the day we left. Not much, just that there was a really bad storm and we left. There were… There were men like him there and I remember a lot of shouting and somebody covering my eyes and carrying me away. That's it." Link pressed his fingers against his forehead. "I haven't thought about my parents in a long time. I can't even remember their faces."

He stood, walking over to look up the staircase out at the bright blue desert sky, now darkening as the day approached its end. "And if it's true, what he said about my ancestors…" He turned back to face his friend, at a loss for words.

Midna stood and walked over to him, laying her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Hey, I know what it's like to have ancestors who weren't very nice people. But, think about this: You know what that makes the Hero of Lightning?"

He looked up at her, puzzled. "What?"

"Well, if his tomb was deep under the mansion, then his equipment was probably that treasure the man back there mentioned. Auru already told you that the Hero of Lightning was Endrew Fenris' father. That means you've got at least one ancestor who wasn't evil."

Link brought out the Staff of Lightning, turning it over in his hands. It practically vibrated in his hands with pent-up power. He had already felt a kinship with his predecessor, but to know that the man was his ancestor as well…

The Hero's hands clenched around the staff. "I'm coming back here to Hyrule after the siege," he said quietly, looking back out at the sky again. "I'm going to find out what happened to my parents. Something must have happened to them after they left the mansion, and I want to know how I ended up in Ordon. If there's even the slightest chance that they're still alive…"

He turned back to Midna. "Come on. We'll fly to the city and ask the Gerudo what's going on. It has to be nearby, and it'll be easier to spot from the air. We haven't called Nabooru since we got to Athaca, but so much has happened since then that I didn't think to check back in with her. She'll know what's going on. The sooner we find out who's really behind this invasion, the sooner we can stop them and I'll have time to find out what happened to my parents."

Midna smirked. "Besides all the other obvious reasons for stopping the invasion, of course."

He had to crack a small smile at that. "Yeah, I guess. Let's go."

The two of them went outside and took off, heading first for Ganon's pyramid as a point of reference. Nabooru's raiding party had been camped an hour's walk from it when they had first met her, and the city was probably not too far away by flight.

As they flew, Link stretched out into a more aerodynamic position, and Midna came up alongside him, floating on her back and facing him.

"Hey, Link. You good enough with those things for that race yet? I'll race you to the pyramid!"

Without any further warning, she suddenly tripled her speed and Link grinned, glad for the distraction. Concentrating on the Icarus Wings, he increased the speed of his flight until he was next to her again, the wind roaring in his ears.

Midna yawned theatrically and again sped up, waving at him from off in the distance. He tried to go even faster, and very nearly overshot the pyramid, where she was already waiting by the time he stopped, standing on the very top and smirking at him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Too slow, Mr. Hero. Let me know if you want a rematch, so I can stomp you again." She smiled sweetly, her eyes plainly showing her amusement.

He hovered to a stop, forced to land below Midna and look up at her. "Hey, who's using a device and who can do this naturally?" he said, chuckling.

She gestured out at the desert. "Oh, you're just a sore loser. Break out your Hawkeye and help me look for the city. It's getting dark, too, so hurry up." She favored him with another of her patented infuriating grins.

He smirked. "Yes, mistress. Anything else?"

"Yes, some water. And hurry up with it, too. Nobody likes a tardy servant."

They shared a laugh as they looked over the desert for the Gerudo city. From what he knew of desert living, Link thought it would be near a mountain and almost certainly near an oasis. There were a few lights off in the distance, and as Link zoomed in with his Hawkeye, he could see that they were torches.

Midna saw them at the same time. "Let's go. Fire means people." She pointed at his shadow, virtually nonexistent in the failing light. "They'll be less threatened by just you." She paused to give him a comically exaggerated once-over. "Though, if you wanted to not be threatening, maybe you should have shaved first. You're starting to get kind of scruffy there, Wolf-Boy."

Link rolled his eyes as she disappeared into his shadow, the looking-over-his-shoulder feeling settling over him. He took off again, headed for the torches, and as he drew closer, he could see that it was an encampment, similar to his first encounter with the Gerudo, only there were fewer tents. The Hero landed well outside the encampment and approached on foot, making sure to keep his hands away from his weapons.

He was greeted with an arrow that passed within a fraction of an inch of his ear, and stopped immediately.

* * *

The huntress' senses prickled as her nimble-footed horse charged across the packed sand. A group of her sisters were camped nearby, and she was growing tired from her rapid pace. She would rest with them for the night and continue on to the city in the…

There was someone else with them, someone who, she realized, was the one who had prickled her senses. One of those she sought was nearby.

They must die!

* * *

"Boy, everybody's shooting at you today, aren't they?" Midna's voice said next to the ear that had almost been nicked.

"What do you want, Hylian?" a Gerudo-accented voice demanded. The woman was barely visible and shadows obscured her face. But, he could clearly see the bow in her hands, another arrow ready and the string stretched back. Several other shapes stood behind her, the bonfire in the center of the camp casting shadows over their faces, also.

Link was dimly aware of approaching hoof-beats as he slowly spread his hands, keeping them well away from the hilt of his sword. "I mean you no harm!" he called.

Another arrow whistled just above his ear, taking a bit of hair with it, and it took conscious effort not to flinch.

"Touchy, touchy," said Midna.

"I will ask you once more, Hylian: What do you want?" the woman asked, her tone more threatening.

"Is there a raider known as Nabooru among you?" he asked.

"No. Who are you?"

"My name is Link. Do you know where she is?"

The Gerudo warrior lowered her bow, gesturing sharply for him to approach. Once he had come within a few yards of the perimeter of the camp, she drew a scimitar hanging from her belt.

"That's far enough, Hylian. Why are you looking for Nabooru?"

Link slowly lowered his hands to his sides. "I wish to speak to her."

The hoof-beats were getting closer, and Link saw several of the other warriors turning to look. The one he was talking to kept her scimitar raised and pointed slightly at him, her expression telling him that she was debating whether or not to just attack him now. He could see her face now, but he did not recognize her.

"Nabooru is not with us. I do not know where she is." The warrior raised her scimitar a little more. "You can turn around and go back the way you came, Hyli-"

Her words were interrupted by the rider charging around the edge of the ring of tents, headed right for him. Link felt his Gossip Stone buzz as he dove out of the way. As she leaped from her saddle at him, Link pulled out his shield, then blocked the furious series of blows the woman launched at him, shrieking like a demon as she swung without letup.

He blocked every blow, keeping her between the encampment and himself, thinking one or more of the warriors would join her at any moment.

She swung her scimitar at him in a blow meant for decapitation, and Link ducked under it, hitting her in the abdomen with his shield. The frenzied woman was stunned momentarily, and his left hand snaked out and snatched the scimitar from her grip, then threw it behind him.

She leaped for him, her hands seeking to wrap around his throat, and Midna appeared out of his shadow, wrapping her arm around the woman's neck to pull her back.

"That's a poor way to treat your guests," the Twilight Princess said, pinning the woman's arms behind her back with her other hand.

The would-be assassin threw her head back and hit the taller Midna in the chin, causing her grip to relax slightly. She broke free and dove for Link again, but he was ready for her this time.

In a quick, deft movement, he grabbed her wrist and twisted, flipping her over his shoulder. She landed heavily on the sand, and he twisted her arm up behind her back, kneeling with one leg on her knees and the other on her lower back.

"Why are you attacking me? I have done nothing against you," he said, putting just enough pressure on her arm to immobilize her.

"Die!" she shrieked, twisting violently underneath him. She seemed heedless of the pressure on her arm, and he was forced to let up a little to avoid breaking it.

Link felt his Gossip Stone buzz once more, the third or fourth time during the fight, but he again ignored it. It could wait.

The Gerudo warrior he had been talking to prior to the attack approached with a torch, her scimitar in her other hand. Another of the warrior women accompanied her. Link started to get up, but his captive struggled violently again, so he stayed where he was.

The woman lowered the torch, and he saw his captive's face clearly for the first time. His surprise was enough for Link to loosen his grip, and she threw him off, jumping up with almost unnatural strength and going for his throat again.

Midna and the torch-bearer's companion restrained her, holding her back while she twisted and writhed, shrieking at him.

Link got to his feet. "Nabooru? What's wrong with you?"

Her hair was loose and haggard, her face drawn and her clothes torn, and her eyes burned with intense hatred as she struggled to get at him, shouting incoherently in Gerudo.

Midna grunted with effort. "She's been cursed. This isn't her. Our mysterious sorcerer has done something to her, and he or she is commanding her to do this."

"He," said a new voice.

A tall, regal Gerudo woman stepped over to them from the ring of tents. She was perhaps in her mid to late thirties, by Link's estimate, though she could have been ten years in either direction. Her hair was longer than the others, and her clothes were of finer quality, but she was otherwise dressed as a typical Gerudo warrior. She was unarmed, and her bright blue eyes met the Hero's, a faint scowl on her face, though it was not directed at him.

"I know the one that has done this to her," said the woman. "His name is Raneses, and he calls himself our king."

Raneses. So, now the mysterious sorcerer backing or controlling the Oocca had a name.

Link glanced over at Nabooru, still struggling to get at him. "So, why did he do it?"

The woman sighed angrily through her teeth, taking a step closer to the frenzied warrior. "I do not know. Perhaps he caught her deception and did this to her as punishment, or he might have had another reason entirely. I do not presume to know his motives."

After one particularly violent struggle, Midna sighed and brought her finger up to Nabooru's temple, and a brief spark flashed there. The raider slumped, and the Twilight Princess and the Gerudo that had been helping her restrain the other woman lowered her to the ground.

"Knocked her out," Midna explained. "She would have gotten loose before long, anyway, and I was tired of holding her back."

"Take her to my tent," the regal Gerudo woman said. "Watch her closely." The two Gerudo warriors with them nodded and carried Nabooru off into the camp. She watched them go, and turned back to Link. "My apologies. We were not formally introduced. I am the Matriarch, now-former leader of the Gerudo people."

Link gestured over at his friend. "I am Link, and this is Midna."

"Pleased to meet you," Midna said. "We met Nabooru once before, though I don't know if she told you about us before… that happened." She gestured off after the cursed raider.

The Matriarch gestured into the camp. "She did. Come inside. I will explain the situation to you as best I can."

They followed her into one of the tents, Link having completely forgotten about his Gossip Stone, which had ceased buzzing some time ago. The Matriarch settled herself on the rug covering the floor, her legs crossed underneath her, and the two of them sat down facing her.

The Matriarch was silent for a moment before beginning, her expression serious. "I know who you are, Link, and I must say that I am glad you have found us. This group is all that are still loyal to me, and we had no goals in mind beyond fleeing the city, as we can do nothing against our king at this time."

Midna spoke up, leaning forward slightly. "I thought no children had been born to you in twenty years, and no male at all since Ganondorf. Where did he come from? He wasn't with your people?"

"Raneses has not volunteered that information to us. All he has told us is that he is descended from Ganondorf's oldest daughter, and is thus his legal heir. He appeared to us not long after your group first encountered Nabooru, and declared himself our king. His first command to us was to empty the desert of our people, and for us to move into Hyrule, as he claimed that its residents were no longer there."

"Do you know anything about the other group of humans that have been seen in Hyrule? Some of our scouts said they have seen them working with your people," Link said.

The Matriarch shrugged slightly. "I do not. A raider named Akame is now the second-in-command of our people after Raneses, and she is the one who is organizing the campaign in Hyrule. I declined the position and thereafter left the city. I do not know if Raneses has appeared to us again, and he has so far shown no interest in pursuing me." She straightened. "I will tell you all about him that I know, as it is almost certainly he who is directing your foes. He bears his ancestor's face and demeanor, a lust for power that is obvious to me, and he has taken up the title of Dark Lord, stating his intent to follow through on his ancestor's plans. He has great and unnatural power, using both Shadow magic and other powers not familiar to me."

Midna looked over at Link. "That sounds like our mysterious sorcerer, all right."

Link was about to answer when his Gossip Stone buzzed and he remembered that someone had been trying to contact him when Nabooru attacked him.

"Will you excuse me?" he said, getting to his feet and pulling out the stone. The Matriarch nodded and Link stepped outside to answer the call. "Yes?"

The sound of a tremendous explosion, somewhat tinny through the filter of the stone, greeted him, after which Erik's face appeared in the facets of the gem. "Finally!" the Sheikah warrior said, practically shouting. "Get back to Calatia, now!"

"What's going on?" Link asked, already fearing he knew the answer.

"We're being attacked! The enemy army got here much sooner than we had anticipated, and the city is being overrun. I'll meet you at the portal on the city wall and brief you on the situation when you arrive. Hurry up!" Another explosion sounded, there was a grunt of pain from Erik, and the connection abruptly closed.

Link hurried back into the tent, waving Midna over. "We have to go. Belakar City is being attacked _now_, and they need us."

She stood, her expression one of surprise. "What? I thought we still had a few days."

Link scowled, though not at her. "Well, we don't. We have to go back now."

Midna paused, looking over at the wall of the tent. "You go ahead. Go get Zelda, and I'll meet you at the city. There's something I have to do here first."

Link nodded and left the tent, calling on his new power to take him to the portal closest to the Kokiri Forest.

* * *

Midna watched as Link left and turned to the Matriarch. "I'm sorry, but we have to go. Before I leave, can I see Nabooru?"

The former Gerudo leader nodded. "Certainly. For what purpose?"

"I'm going to take that curse off of her," Midna replied.

"You can do that?"

She nodded. "If Raneses did what I think, I can reverse it so that she's herself again. Link and I will be coming back after we help repel the siege in Calatia, and we'll help you guys out some more when we do. It sounds like this Raneses character is the one behind the whole invasion, which means Link will be wanting to take him out as soon as possible."

The Matriarch led the way to the tent where Nabooru was being kept, and once they entered, Midna could see the raider was lying face-down on the ground, the subtle tensing of the muscles in her back and the quiet sound of her breathing the only indication that she was still alive.

The Gerudo warriors guarding her watched as Midna knelt at the raider's side and extended her hand, the blue-green markings on it glowing slightly brighter than usual. She paused at Nabooru's head, and at once knew she had found the source of the curse. It was a tiny fragment of solidified Shadow magic, like the one she had sensed in Nemo, and it was pulsing with waves of energy, keeping the raider in her present condition.

Midna sat down next to Nabooru, her legs folded underneath her, and her eyes fell closed as she concentrated deeply, drawing on the power of the Fused Shadows. The ancient relics of her people were solidified and concentrated Shadow magic, and so the Twilight Princess had a greater understanding of the dark arts than most who used the arcane energy that permeated the worlds. This understanding let her instantly identify the precise adjustments Raneses had made to Nabooru's mind, and Midna began painstakingly reversing them.

Sentient minds were delicate, she knew, and the slightest error could irreversibly damage them, so Midna did not hurry, and was careful and precise in her efforts. Time ceased to have any meaning for her, and she passed from one moment to the next, undoing the forced reconditioning of the Gerudo warrior and restoring her to the way she had been, dissolving the Shadow fragment in the process.

It felt like hours, but was really only minutes later that Midna opened her eyes and stood. "It's done," she said, looking over at the Matriarch. "The rest is up to her. Let her rest as long as she can. I'll check on her when we return."

The Matriarch reached out to clasp Midna's shoulder. "I thank you. I had feared that you would be forced to kill her, and if you had not done what you did, that task would have fallen to me instead. Our sister is proud, and she would not have wanted to continue like this."

Midna nodded her acknowledgment. "She should be fine, but give her a while to recover. Just, be warned. She may not be completely herself for a few days as her mind repairs itself."

"We will remain here and await your return," the Matriarch said. "I thank you again."

Midna smiled. "Hey, just doing what I can."

With that, she stepped outside the tent and focused her power, headed for Calatia.

* * *

Raneses dropped his prisoner into a cell deep inside his seaside fortress, slamming the door behind him and ignoring the woman's questions as he stalked away, his black cloak billowing out with the speed of his stride.

His ancestor manifested himself, and paced the Dark Lord without moving his own legs, giving the appearance that he was gliding down the long stone hallway next to his descendant.

"I do not recognize that woman," Ganondorf said. "Why did you take her? I had thought you would have taken Zelda or someone from Link's village."

Raneses reached up to tap the side of his head with one gloved finger. "I read her thoughts. Her connection to the current Hero is stronger than anyone else in that forest, though he may not know it yet."

Ganondorf's expression was briefly puzzled, before he either read the answer from Raneses' surface thoughts or guessed it himself. A slow smile spread across the first Dark Lord's features. "Ah, I see. Excellent. If I had known she was still alive, my last conquest would have been somewhat easier. She makes a much better hostage than the Princess or any of the brats from the boy's village."

Raneses nodded as he opened the door to the dungeons and stepped through it, sparing the keeper a brief glance before continuing on to the staircase in front of him. The man gave no indication of surprise at Ganondorf's appearance, which Raneses took to mean that only he could see the first Dark Lord.

When he had reached his personal chambers, Raneses unbuckled his sword belt and hung it on the rack next to the door, hanging his cloak over it next. He crossed to the window, with its spectacular view of the ocean smashing itself against the rocks below, and contemplated it for several moments.

Ganondorf crossed his arms next to him, looking down at the ocean, also. "This was always my favorite room in this place. I used it as my personal chamber in the brief periods I spent here in between hunting for that brat princess and her damnable Hero a century ago." He gestured out at the view with one hand. "The ocean is always so violent here. It seems a perpetual storm hangs over this area, the ocean constantly trying to tear this place down with its fury. It is... different than what I was used to."

Raneses nodded slowly. "I have seen the cities the Gerudo live in. There is nowhere in their domain that has a view of this much water, save at the coast, where it is useless."

Ganondorf looked at him curiously. "Why do you say 'their' domain and not 'our', Raneses? You are just as much a Gerudo as any other, and you are the king. That domain belongs to you. Did your mother not teach you of our ways?"

The Dark Lord waved a hand dismissively. "I am king of two other nations, also, one of which birthed my father. Should I not consider myself a part of their race, as well?"

Ganondorf scowled at his descendant. "The father does not matter, except when he is Gerudo. That is one of the fundamentals of our culture. The king is the father to the whole race, he who keeps our people going. Any other is just a means to an end until the new king reaches maturity. How many children do you have?"

Raneses looked at his ancestor strangely. "None. I do not have time for a family."

Ganondorf would have pounded his fist on the stone of the windowsill, had he been solid enough to do so. "There is always time for your family!" he thundered. "The purpose of your existence is to ensure the survival of our race! Any conquests you choose to pursue are secondary to that! Do you know what you have done?" he practically shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the younger Dark Lord.

Raneses weathered his ancestor's fury impassively, remaining silent.

"You are the reason why no children have been born to the Gerudo in twenty years! That is one of the conditions of the Blood Curse; once the male has reached maturity, any children born to our people must be his until his death, at which time our sisters must take outsiders and wait for the next male. I thought you knew this!" Ganondorf almost looked pained, and Raneses was growing puzzled at this.

"I do not understand why you are so upset. I am continuing your legacy, honored ancestor. I thought this is what you wanted."

"Your first duty is to your people. Every Gerudo king must ensure that our race will survive until the next male comes along. Do you want our blood to be diluted with that of outsiders, until we are nothing more than just another race of humans, indistinguishable from any other?" Ganondorf turned the full force of his glare upon his descendant, a truly terrifying sight to a lesser man. "Why did you appear to the Gerudo if you do not intend to lead them?"

"For the same reason you did!" Raneses shouted right back. "For their skills! The Gerudo are among the world's best warriors, invaluable to any serious attempt at conquest. The fact that I am their legitimate king only strengthened my hold upon them."

Ganondorf was livid with rage. "You are using your own people as pawns in your conquest? How dare you?"

That was it. Honored ancestor or not, he had gone too far.

"How is what I am doing any different than what you did a century ago? Your lust for the Triforce made you willing to do anything to reunite it, and the Gerudo were the way I found them because of what _you_ had done. Do you know what they think of you? They call you 'Accursed One' and are not willing to speak your name." Raneses paused momentarily, preparing his final barb. "Destroying one of their cities when you returned to life only strengthened their hatred for you, _honored ancestor_." He made his last words a venomous parody of his usual honorific.

Ganondorf was plainly shocked, his face contorted with wordless fury, and without another word, he disappeared back into the Triforce of Shadow.

Raneses angrily turned back to the window, his thoughts raging like the storm-tossed ocean below. This was it! He had had more than enough of his ancestor questioning his decisions, withholding his power to further his own advantage and treating him as if he were inferior to the first Dark Lord. He had succeeded where Ganondorf had failed, and had surpassed him in every way. Now, all he needed Ganondorf for was unlocking his creation. Oh, he would apologize later and say whatever was needed to placate the first Dark Lord, but as soon as the Triforce of Shadow was fully under Raneses' control…

Ganondorf was _gone._

* * *

Author's Note: I would have posted this yesterday, but I was unfortunately nowhere near an Internet connection the entire day. I was somewhat disappointed, as yesterday marked exactly one year since I posted the first chapter. Oh, well. Can't be helped. Chapter 32 is mostly done, though right now I don't know when I'll get to post it. I said in Chapter 16 that I was halfway through my outline, and at that point, I was. However, I've done quite a bit of rearranging since then, and now I expect this story to be 40 to 45 chapters, depending on how long it takes me to get through some key scenes. Major thanks to all reviewers, as always.

(Revision Note: And now, another year has passed since I posted the first chapter. It's somewhat strange to think it's been that long, but it's also fun to see how much I've improved as a writer since then. There are a few things about this story I wish I'd done differently, but it's been invaluable experience to me, and for that it will always be special. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.)


	32. Repelling the Siege

Thirty-Two

Chaos greeted Midna as she re-formed on the outer wall of Belakar City, very nearly losing her footing as a catapult-launched missile impacted with the wall just below her.

The field beyond the city was filled with thousands of monsters, siege wagons were rolling up to the walls, and catapults beyond were flinging any debris available at the defenders on the wall. She had expected a battle, but the sheer noise level was enough to make her wince. Almost worse than the noise was the _smell_, the horrible stench of fire and blood and death that hung over the city like a malignant fog. Midna felt her stomach start to twist, and quickly blocked out the smell as best she could.

The battle had spread to the interior of the city itself, and the main gate of Calatia's capital was virtually nonexistent, signs of a massive explosion splashed across the walls around it and the buildings beyond. A group of warriors had gathered at the ruins of the gate, and were trying valiantly to hold the surging tide of the enemy army back, but were pitifully unsuccessful.

In the skies above the city, several Balacruf warships were battling a tremendous Oocca flying fortress. As she watched, a fusillade from the enemy vessel tore one of the warships to pieces. The debris rained down over the city and the field, and the others increased their barrages. She couldn't tell which ship was Viserys', and she fervently hoped that it was not the one that had just been destroyed.

A bright flash of golden light attracted Midna's attention, and she looked closer, enhancing her vision to see Arnak, covered in blood and grime, running in from _outside_ the city, slashing, stabbing, and hurling enemies out of his way. Even at this distance, the Triforce marking on his hand was plainly visible, and its glow broke through the darkness like the noon-day sun, revealing Arnak's determined expression and the terror of the foes around him at this avenging guardian who broke through their ranks like a gushing torrent of molten lava, leaving only destruction in his wake.

Drawing the Twilight Blade, Midna jumped over the edge of the wall and rocketed to his side, crashing into the crowd of enemies around him like an impacting meteor. Her sword flashed out in a spin attack to scatter the monsters even further.

The big man nodded his thanks and, as she held off the tide of monsters, he moved off to where one of the massive city doors, still mostly intact, lay on the ground. With an agonized groan of effort, he lifted the edge of it up. The Triforce on the back of his hand shone brightly as he heaved, and as Midna watched, astonished, Arnak lifted the entire gigantic door free of the ground and wedged it into the gap in the wall, blocking the way for the horde of enemies pressing around them.

Seeing that they were now cut off from the other defenders, Midna dashed over to the big man and grabbed him around the chest from behind, leaping straight up over the door to the relative safety of the other side. There, the two of them quickly dispatched the small crowd of monsters that were nearby, pausing as the soldiers that had been fighting the monsters rushed to shore up the new barrier.

Arnak's sword fell with a clang to the stone of the city street, and he sagged against the wall, breathing heavily. His long, shaggy hair was soaked with sweat, and he was covered in blood, both human and monster. There was a streak of charred residue across his forehead, as if someone had hit him with an extinguished torch, and his clothes were a ruined mess, slashed and torn from countless enemy blows. Even the chain-mail he wore had been punctured in several places, though the holes were hard to see from all the residue caking his clothes.

Midna pressed her hands to his side, where the blood was thickest, but he tiredly waved her away.

"It's not mine," Arnak said, his deep voice hoarse. He held up his right hand, still glowing with a powerful golden light, as a wordless explanation.

A resounding clang shattered the momentary peace as a battering ram was brought against the makeshift barrier. Arnak tiredly picked up his sword and stood, stumbling a little as he did so. He moved to the stairs running up one end of the ruined wall, but tripped, falling into Midna, and knocked them both over.

This turned out to save them both, as a bomb launched from the flying fortress whistled down and tore the enormous door to shreds, sending debris flying with lethal speed in all directions.

An inarticulate scream of rage tore out of Arnak's throat, and he snatched up his sword from where it had fallen and plunged into the renewed flood of enemies, swinging wildly.

Midna rolled out of the way of a falling chunk of stone, knocked loose by the new explosion, and closed her eyes, briefly concentrating. As she worked, Midna thanked herself for having the foresight to prepare for this eventuality. In a flash of blue-green light, her long, loose robe and skirt were replaced by a set of black-and-gray armor overlaid with swirling blue-green lines, somewhat reminiscent of Link's Magic Armor, but with strong Twili influences in the design. She had been working on it in her spare time since she had returned to the Light Realm, usually when the others were asleep, as she did not require as much rest as they did. Heavy fighting had been inevitable, and she was glad she had finished it as soon as she did, only a few days ago.

After making sure her armor was secure, Midna picked up the Twilight Blade and charged after Arnak, helping him battle any monsters that came within range with a mixture of her sword skills and magic. She was glad she had made the armor, as her regular clothes were hardly sufficient protection for this kind of fighting, and her concentration was not honed enough to keep a magic barrier around herself as she fought.

The Twilight Princess threw herself into the fight, using all the skill she possessed to help Arnak keep the enemy from flooding into the city. The two of them were powerful, and more than a match for any single monster, but the enemy had the advantage of sheer numbers, and trying to hold them back was like trying to block off a raging river with a single pebble. The two of them were forced back further and further into the city, until they and the remaining defenders were pressed up against the wall of the inner keep, trying to defend the gate.

A sudden dam blocked off the flowing river of enemies, and as the defenders looked up in puzzlement, they saw that their foes had parted to let one of their huge siege wagons through. The massive construct was headed right down the central street of the city, its huge battering ram swinging with the movement, and Midna knew what she had to do.

Stepping forward, she gathered her power in her hands, drawing deeply on the Fused Shadows, and was briefly surprised when the Twilight Blade in her hands began siphoning the power into itself. She realized that her sword was acting as a focus, and leveled it at the approaching siege wagon.

When her sword was pulsing with energy and practically vibrating with power in her grip, Midna planted her feet wide and loosed a massive beam of energy out of the Twilight Blade, pure destructive power.

It tore into the siege wagon and the monsters behind it like a hungry dragon into its unlucky prey, channeling a stream of utter destruction like a lance of fire into their formation and out beyond to where the rest of the monsters were trying to get into the city, eradicating hundreds with a single blast.

Midna lowered her arms, fighting back a sudden wave of fatigue, and smirked at Arnak's astonished expression.

"Whew," she said, crossing to lean against one of the buildings that framed the street. "I won't be doing that again soon." She gestured tiredly with one hand at the now-empty street. "Bought us some time, at least."

Arnak nodded silently. "We will have a few moments to regroup before they charge again." He sheathed his sword. "Come, we will see how many defenders we have left. Most of the civilians were supposed to be inside the castle by now, so we will make our stand here. Is the Hero on his way?"

Midna returned his nod. "He should be here any minute. He just went back to the forest to get Zelda. Where are the others?"

Her question was answered, at least partially, by a sudden loud clattering and crashing down one of the side-streets nearby. As they looked, they spotted Erik running toward them, but his feet were on the side of a building rather than on the ground. After a few steps, the Sheikah made a nimble flip across the street and pushed off the side of the other building, the laws of gravity apparently not applying to him, and slammed, sword-first, into a group of Bulblins that had been chasing him. The steel of his blade flashed in the dim light as he moved his sword through a devastating arc, leaving only choking unnatural smoke behind him.

The warrior spotted Arnak first and jogged over to him. "Arnak! I finally got through to Link, and he…" He trailed off as he spotted Midna. "Is he here?" he asked her.

"Any time now," she replied, still trying to catch her breath.

They were soon joined by Raskys, who had a gash on his forehead and a trail of blood down the side of his face. His uniform was slashed and torn, revealing the shirt of chain-mail he was wearing underneath it. He was accompanied by a group of Balacruf soldiers, and they bore similar battle wounds.

He waved his greetings, gesturing off down the street as he smirked at Midna. "I saw your little pyrotechnics display there. Very impressive."

Arnak pointed up at the sky, where the flying fortress was coming in for another bombing run. "Midna, can you do that again? If we can take out this fortress, we can get our airship support back."

Midna groaned. Did he think those kinds of attacks were easy? There was a reason she had told him she wouldn't be doing it again soon; it took a lot of energy, and she needed time to build her reserves back up again.

Next to her, she saw Raskys' eyes widen suddenly, and he began shouting wildly, waving everyone away from the gate. Looking up, Midna spotted the reason why. A Balacruf warship, either the _Argent Hawk_ or one of its same class, was on fire and venting smoke, several loud detonations echoing across the city. If anyone was still alive on the huge warship, they were rapidly losing control, and it was obvious that it would soon crash.

"It's coming down right on top of us! MOVE!" shouted Raskys, practically pushing Midna down one of the side streets.

Midna sprinted away with the others, but a few moments later was thrown completely off her feet by an enormous explosion that shook the world around her, the tremendous sound of it assaulting her ears. She landed in a heap against a forgotten stall of a street vendor, and found herself unable to rise for several long moments.

She groaned as she sat up. "I hate these people."

* * *

Link stepped into the Kokiri Village to find a scene of chaos. People were running around, trying to calm panicked animals and herd them back to their pens, and more than a few of them looked panicked themselves.

He heard a relieved cry, and the Hero suddenly found himself being embraced by Ilia, her head buried in his shoulder. He could hear her sniffling, and he pulled back, his hands on her shoulders.

"What happened?" he asked, meeting her tear-filled eyes. He had never seen her this shaken before.

"Oh, Link, it was terrible! First there was this… presence, and he was doing something to the Deku Tree. Everybody could hear his screaming, and it was the most horrible sound I've ever heard. Then it stopped and this… man came into the village. I suppose he was a man, though he wasn't like any man I've ever seen. His _eyes_, they _glowed_ with this horrible yellow light, and his voice was like…" She paused to bite back a sob. "He…he took someone. I don't know who, but they screamed and he knocked everybody out somehow. When we woke up, he was gone."

"When was this?" Link asked, looking around.

Ilia sniffled again. "It was just a few minutes ago. If you came here to stop that horrible man, you just missed him."

Link turned to see Zelda approaching, and he left his arm around Ilia's shoulders, trying to calm her down.

"It was the sorcerer behind the Oocca's invasion," Zelda said. "I am certain of it. He looked and sounded exactly like Ganondorf, but he said he was not the Dark Lord."

"It was _a_ Dark Lord, just not the one you and I fought," Link answered. "His name is Raneses, and he's Gerudo, Ganondorf's heir." He raised his empty hand at Zelda's questioning expression. "I just came from the desert, where we met a group of Gerudo. They told us about him."

The princess paused, deep in thought. When she finally spoke, her expression was determined. "It appears our focus must now be this new Dark Lord. The others must handle the rest of the war while you and I try to find out more about Raneses and seek a way to stop him."

Link's expression was equally as determined. "Cut off the head, and the rest of the monster dies. If we take out Raneses, the entire invasion will collapse."

Ilia clasped his arm, one hand on his shoulder. "Then go, Link! Find a way to defeat that man. Don't worry about us. We'll be safe here in the forest."

Link nodded silently, projecting as much resolve as he could. Anger washed through his mind at the thought that the innocents in the forest had been assaulted. War was for warriors. Only someone truly despicable would use civilians as leverage against the opposing side.

"Come on," he said to Zelda, "Belakar City is under attack, and we need to go help them." He turned back to Ilia. "I'll be back very soon to find out who Raneses took. I'll be staying in Hyrule for a while until they need me somewhere else."

Ilia nodded, taking a deep breath. "Don't worry about us, Link. You go out there and do what you have to do." She hugged him one more time before leaving.

Zelda had a far-away look on her face, as if she were concentrating on something. "The Deku Tree has resumed his protection around the forest, though it is much weaker than before. No permanent harm was done, thankfully."

Both of them knew what had happened to the previous Deku Tree, and were glad that tragedy had not been repeated.

Link accompanied Zelda back to the house where the King was staying, politely greeting the servants as she fetched her bag. He found his gaze drawn to the aged King, sleeping in a bed at the back of the small dwelling. It was obvious that he was not well, and Zelda paused as she joined Link to look back at him.

The carefully expressionless mask of her face faltered for just a moment, and she abruptly turned and walked past him into the forest village. Link looked over at her as they walked out of the village and through the foliage barrier, going beyond the range of the Deku Tree's protection.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded sharply. "Yes, I'm fine." Before he could say anything else, Zelda changed the subject. "What do you know of the situation in Calatia?"

"Not much," Link answered. "Just that the enemy army got to the city much sooner than anyone thought they would."

"We must prepare for heavy fighting, then," Zelda said, and withdrew a few pieces of armor from the bag she carried.

She was dressed in what she had been wearing most of the time since the siege of Castle Town; sturdy traveling clothes vaguely reminiscent of a Sheikah uniform, in dark colors. Over her dark tunic, the princess pulled on a shirt of chain-mail and strapped on armor plates over her shoulders and chest.

Link reached down to his belt and manipulated one of the jewels mounted on the leather, summoning his Magic Armor from his 'pocket', and he briefly checked the plates and straps once he had done so.

"Ready?" he asked, looking over at Zelda.

She nodded, and he summoned the new power Midna had given him, wrapping it around Zelda. The two of them broke into black squares and vanished from the forest.

* * *

Forgotten. That's what had happened to him, and the word rang through his mind as he raged against his bonds, to no avail.

_Forgotten._

The Antihero, dark copy of the Chosen Warrior of the Goddesses, smiled grimly to himself as he contemplated the walls of his cell. It was somewhat ironic, considering that the name he had chosen for himself, Nemo, meant 'no one' in Old Hylian. It was also the name of a mysterious character from an old legend, which one of his predecessors had once heard, but this current incarnation of the Antihero was about as far from the character in the legend as one could get.

Both had been seeking revenge for a past wrong, only the Antihero's wrong was merely existing.

Nemo was tired of life. He was not meant to be. He was unnatural, a _monster_, as some called him. For the longest time, he and the others like him who had come before had sought to break the curse that caused them to be by the only way they knew; killing their doubles, the Heroes. If the Hero died by an Antihero's hand, the curse would be broken and…

Well, he didn't know what would happen if he managed to kill Link. No Antihero had ever managed to succeed.

Nemo jerked at his bonds once more, and was briefly surprised when the whole vessel shook immediately afterward, the sound of a detonation ringing through the tiny cell.

"Don't know my own strength, I guess," he said aloud, smirking at his own joke.

He was still in his cell aboard _Argent Hawk_, and he had seen no one since that princess and her gigantic companion, allies of the accursed Hero, had prevented the Oocca trying to free him from succeeding. Nemo had been somewhat amused by this. It meant Raneses hadn't entirely abandoned him, and had considered him at least somewhat useful at the time.

But, since that time, no one had come to check on him or free him, and so the Antihero languished in his cell, wondering what was going on. The ship he was imprisoned on was obviously in another battle with the Oocca, but that didn't really matter to Nemo. It seemed his fate to be eternally captured and imprisoned, and he was quickly getting very tired of it. The next time he saw Link, one of them would die, and either outcome was fine with him right now.

Nemo looked down at his shadow, thrown in front of him by a torch or some other light source behind him. It amused him, in an irritating sort of way. He was a shadow of Link, a dark copy who existed only to oppose him, and was constantly being jerked around by the motions of his counterpart, dragged along behind him with almost no control over where he went.

While he was thinking, Nemo's shadow stretched and elongated until a very tall man in a long black cloak emerged from it, his yellow eyes glowing in the dim lighting of the Antihero's cell. The man was the one who had subjugated the Antihero, the torch moving around Link to manipulate his shadow; the Dark Lord, Raneses.

"Come to get me, have you? I thought you had forgotten all about me, what with all your plotting and scheming and whatever else it is you occupy your time with." Nemo sneered at his master. He feared no punishment now. If he could goad Raneses into killing him, it would at least spare him the humiliation of being killed by that weak, soft Hero.

"Be silent, creature. You have not yet outlived your usefulness to me." Raneses gestured with one gloved hand and the Antihero's bonds released him, dropping him to the floor. "I have a task for you."

"Oh? Well, if it's anything other than 'kill Link', you'd better get one of your other flunkies to do it." Nemo picked himself up, glaring insolently at the Dark Lord. "I'm tired of being kicked around, and I'm going to kill Link if it's the last thing I do. Nothing else matters."

The Dark Lord smiled unpleasantly, a chilling predator's grin. "How fortunate. My task for you is to deliver a message to the Hero. You may do it in whatever manner you choose, and you must thank Link for sparing me the distasteful task of killing you myself. Destroying one such as yourself would be no more challenging than crushing an insect beneath my boot."

Nemo rolled his eyes. "You like to listen to yourself talk, don't you? You are so much like Ganondorf that I'd swear you were a reincarnation if I didn't know better."

A satisfying flash of rage passed over the Dark Lord's face, and he gestured sharply at Nemo. An icy invisible hand wrapped around the Antihero's throat and began to squeeze. Nemo was so amused that he didn't even notice the pain.

"You will not address me with such disrespect, monster," Raneses hissed.

Nemo replied with an extremely offensive phrase in Gerudo that inferred the Dark Lord's mother had been overly submissive to his father during their courtship. It was among the more severe insults in the desert people's language, but did not translate well to Hylian due to its cultural context and phrasing.

Raneses glared darkly at the Antihero, but released him from his invisible hold.

"I will be glad to be rid of you, creature," he said, crossing his arms over his chest under his cloak. An explosion rocked the vessel, but only the Dark Lord's cloak moved, swirling about his feet.

Nemo mockingly imitated the pose, looking up more than a foot and a half to the Dark Lord's eyes. "So what's this message you want to deliver? I'd be happy to tell him whatever it is just after I stick my sword through his heart."

The corners of Raneses' mouth quirked upward in a minute smile. "If that is what you think, creature. You will tell him this:" The Dark Lord outlined a message, and Nemo's mouth split in a wide grin.

"Hey, that's clever. I wish I'd thought of that."

Raneses continued. "You will also tell him that, if he and the other two Triforce Bearers do not return to Hyrule and there surrender to the forces holding the capital, I will kill my prisoner. He has two weeks in which to do so."

Nemo was puzzled. "Why don't you just tell him yourself? I'm sure he's down there in the battle somewhere. Better yet, if you're so powerful, why don't you just take him and the others out right now?"

Raneses gave the Antihero a pitying look. "Think, monster. The Hero will undoubtedly be very angry when he hears the message, and my preparations are not yet complete for me to face him. His Triforce is too great an advantage for him at this time."

Nemo shrugged. "Okay, I'll tell him, but I'm still going to kill him afterwards. Your little plan won't have much impact on him if he's dead."

The Dark Lord smirked. "You greatly overestimate your power, monster. You are hardly capable of killing a warrior such as Link."

The Antihero shrugged again, grinning nastily. "Maybe not, but I'm still going to give him a fight he'll never forget."

* * *

"I _really_ hate these people!" Midna yelled next to Arnak, slashing low to sweep the legs out from underneath a Lizalfos.

While the flaming wreckage of the crashed Balacruf warship was doing an admirable job of blocking off the entrance to the inner keep of the city from the ground army, it was also doing an infuriating job of keeping the defenders _out_. Thus, after being separated from the group by the explosion, Arnak and Midna had found a secret passage into the palace revealed by one of the enemy bombs. Now, they were fighting alone in the massive throne room of the palace, a few yards in front of the throne, against a never-ending stream of monsters dropping in through the shattered windows.

The Oocca flying fortress had settled over the royal palace, and was dropping bombs and monsters on it, trying to drive the Calatians to surrender. All of the defenders inside the throne room had been killed in the fighting, overwhelmed by the enemy's numbers, and so Midna and Arnak were all that kept the Emperor alive for the moment, though the two of them were close to being overwhelmed themselves. The rest of the palace was likely being overrun as well, but they could not go to help, as the monsters were not giving them a moment's peace.

They planned to use the secret passage out of the throne room by which the two of them had entered to escape, but the sheer amount of monsters packed into the cavernous throne room were keeping the three of them from doing so. If they tried to escape, the swarm of enemies would just force the passage door open again and pursue them through the tunnels, something which Arnak wanted to avoid if possible.

The Triforce of Power was all that was keeping the big man going now, and he knew that without it, he would have given out long ago, becoming another corpse on the streets of Belakar City. One advantage was that the chaos of the battle had awakened several new abilities that Arnak was finding extremely useful.

For one, he could now instantly fill himself and any others he wished to the brim with energy, instantly revitalizing them and healing all wounds. Also, he had found a way to constantly keep his strength at a superhuman level, and he was using this ability now to smash the enemies away with crushing force, periodically creating ripples in the sea of monsters by throwing one of them into the rest of the group.

With a crash, another part of the enormous window that formed the ceiling of the throne room shattered in and yet another line dropped in, bearing more monsters.

Midna sighed angrily. "I've got it," she said, taking off to go slash the line at the ceiling and keep any more from sliding down it to join their comrades.

"Brace yourself," Arnak called to the Emperor, who was crouched behind his throne.

Gathering power in his left hand, the big man slashed away a final Bulblin and then slammed his fist into the floor, knocking everything standing in the chamber to the ground with the shockwave.

Before they could recover, Arnak drew even more deeply on his Triforce, preparing for another strike. As he was doing so, something clicked into place in his mind, as it had several times previously during the heated battle, and he suddenly understood another part of the Triforce of Power.

His mouth opened wide in a ferocious grin as Arnak unleashed a powerful wave of energy from his body, targeted solely at anything bearing hostile intent to him. With dozens of detonations, every single monster in the throne room exploded into thick black smoke, obscuring the whole room from view.

When the immense cloud of unnatural smoke had faded, Arnak, Midna, and the Emperor were the only living things in the room. A dozen bodies, those of the Emperor's personal guard, were all that was left.

Midna heartily slapped Arnak on the back, her armor rattling with the impact. "Boy, am I glad you're on our team! I fought a bearer of the Triforce of Power once already, and it's not something I want on the opposite side." She chuckled shortly, then stopped and looked at a point over Arnak's shoulder. Midna smiled widely. "Finally! Someone's used the portal on the city wall. That means Link's here!"

Arnak's Triforce resonated, and a flash of insight speared through his mind. "Princess Zelda is with him," he said. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. Perhaps his piece of the Triforce, now more fully awakened within him, was reacting to its other two parts.

Midna grinned again. "Now maybe we can get something done here."

They saw the Emperor to the secret passage, which was behind one of the massive statues flanking the thrones. He thanked them profusely, and once they had sealed the passage behind him again, Midna looked up at the ceiling, her expression thoughtful.

"The two of us can take out that fortress by ourselves, can't we?"

Arnak clenched his fists and flexed his shoulders. "I believe so."

She sheathed her sword. "Okay then. I'll fly the two of us up there, and then we can blow it up real good. Sound okay?"

The big man nodded in reply.

Midna stepped behind him and gripped him under the arms as she took off. They left the ground at a rapid pace, and the space between them and the shattered windows of the throne room vanished in an instant. Arnak soared out into the open air above the palace, immediately seeing the vast, mile-wide bottom of the flying fortress, which was trading fire with the remaining warships.

The two of them spun and swerved as Midna dodged explosions in the air, and she maintained her grip, obviously used to doing this. Arnak thought that the ability to fly would be useful against a sky-based enemy, but as far as he knew, he did not possess that power.

A bomb, fired by the Oocca fortress, exploded next to them and Midna lost her grip. The two of them were knocked far apart by the force of the blast, and Arnak looked up once he had finally stopped spinning, trying to find the cannon that had fired the shot.

It took the Bearer of Power several moments to realize that he was not falling, and as he looked around, surprised, he discovered that he was hovering in place, through no power other than the one that had been bestowed upon him.

Arnak steeled himself as an idea formed in his mind. After surrounding his body with protective power, Arnak aimed himself at the center of the fortress and shot at it like a cannonball. The reinforced metal of the hull was like tissue paper against him, and Arnak smashed his way by sheer force up through the entire body of the massive fortress, leaving a gaping hole behind him.

He immediately flew towards the area where the crystal controlling the Oocca -and likely most of the troops, also- was kept, and tore the armor aside with one massive blow, driving his fist into the open space of the chamber. Arnak ripped a hole big enough to pass through and moved inside, drawing his sword.

With three great strides, he was at the glowing and humming crystal, the spherical stone set atop a metal pillar in the exact center of the otherwise bare chamber. Arnak put all his strength behind his strike, and swung his sword hard at the crystal. It cleaved through the crystal like a hot knife through butter, and then he brought his fist down on the two halves in the next instant, shattering them into thousands of shards.

The power of his Triforce was like a raging flood within Arnak, and he let out a triumphant laugh, closing his eyes as he spread his arms wide. He had never felt this powerful, this _alive_ in his entire life, and it was a incredible feeling.

He crossed to the hole he had made in the side of the fortress and looked down past its towers and spires to the city and the battlefield below. The enemy army was still flooding inside, a large portion of it outside the walls.

Arnak looked down at them, allowing his fury to rise once more. They were nothing against his power, and though they might think they were winning now, their soldiers swarming through the city and destroying anything they could get their hands on, they were _wrong._ They had lost.

But, they didn't know it yet. And he was about to show them.

* * *

Immediately upon gaining cohesion, Link was attacked. It was so sudden, and so immediate, that it was obvious that his attacker had been waiting for him.

The first strike bounced off the chestplate of his armor, and the Hero was glad he had decided to put it on before teleporting here. The second strike, barely a moment after the first, meant to separate his head from his shoulders, and Link ducked under it, pushing himself forward to tackle his attacker.

Only after he had knocked the other man to the ground did Link realize who it was.

"Surprise!" the Antihero screamed in his face, bringing up his fist to knock Link backwards.

The creature swung his sword wildly in a flurry of strikes, which Link blocked with his gauntlets, but when he felt the battlement behind him press against his back, Nemo's attack suddenly halted and the monster backed off a couple paces.

Link instantly drew his sword and held it at the ready in front of him, seeing Zelda do the same out of the corner of his eye. "How did you escape?" Link growled between clenched teeth, thoroughly irritated with his twisted double's appearance.

The Antihero took a step back, holding his sword loosely in front of him. He grinned smugly. "Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" He turned and bowed mockingly in Zelda's direction. "Your Highness, if you would excuse us? Link's heart has a pressing appointment with the end of my sword."

Without any further warning, Nemo ran forward and tackled Link over the edge of the wall, slashing at him as they fell.

Link activated the Icarus Wings, which were underneath the shoulder plates of his Magic Armor, and twisted out of Nemo's grasp, hovering in place once he was free. He gave the Antihero a mocking wave as he plummeted toward the ground.

Nemo merely smiled and, astonishingly, somehow halted his fall, reversing direction suddenly to speed for Link again. The two of them traded a furious series of blows in mid-air before the Antihero drew off a few yards and hovered in place, sneering at Link.

"Now, now. I think the ability to fly is a bit of a cheat, don't you? You can do so much already." He spread his hands, indicating the thin air around them. "Lucky for me that I get to match your power, eh? Anything you can do, I can do better!" He snarled out the last words, charging for Link again in a blur of motion.

He slashed for Link's midsection, and the Hero blocked the strike with the Master Sword, but Nemo was already swooping around him to strike from the rear, kicking Link in the back just below where his scabbard hung. Link twisted around and swiped at his dark counterpart, but missed.

The Antihero backed up and charged forward again, tackling Link once more, and he used his momentum to push the Hero backwards. With an impact that forced the air from his lungs in a great whoosh, Link's back hit the city wall. Nemo's fist hit his chin in the next instant, splitting open his lip and cracking his head against the unyielding stone.

Link saw stars, and shook his head furiously to clear it, just in time for Nemo to knee him in the stomach and grab hold of his chestplate.

The Hero soared through the air once more, though straight at the ground at a high rate of speed and not of his own accord. He tried to slow down with the Icarus Wings, but too soon, he hit the ground and rolled, trying desperately to stop and come to his feet.

A sharp impact against his side halted his roll, knocking the Hero into the air yet again. He managed to land on his feet, and was glad of the Magic Armor's protective enchantment. That strike would definitely have broken a few ribs if he had not been wearing it.

As expected, Nemo stood a few feet away, his sword held loosely in his left hand. His burning red eyes were smoldering with hate for Link, and he slowly raised his weapon to point at the Hero. "This ends today, Link. One of us is not leaving this place alive. Either you kill me, or I kill you. No draws, no captures, and no mercy."

Link nodded silently.

With that, Nemo charged, his first strike a powerful thrust aimed for Link's chest.

The two of them were evenly matched, both expert swordsmen brimming with energy, and their battle was a terrible one. Nemo had the advantage of being unnaturally strong, but Link had sheer tenacity and force of will. He was never one to run from a fight, no matter how strong the opponent, and he wouldn't give up until he was dead.

They drove each other over the field with relentless force, slamming their blades together again and again, neither managing to overpower the other. Link jumped and dodged and twisted with all the skill he had, striking at the Antihero with every skill and move he knew, but he received an equal beating in return.

Link saw an opening after a few minutes of fighting, and took advantage of Nemo's blind rage to renew his assault, crashing his blade against his double's with an avalanche of blows as he drove him relentlessly backwards. The Antihero seemed entirely unaware of his surroundings, concentrating solely on holding Link off, and so he suddenly stopped and screamed in pain when Link forced him into the wreckage of a siege wagon, a spike on the war machine digging into his back.

Nemo turned and smashed the wreckage in his fury, freeing himself, and turned to face his opponent, snarling. "That was a dirty trick, Hero. But not dirty enough."

He launched himself into a flying leap at Link, bowling the Hero over with the force of the charge, and stabbed down with his sword, the blade meant for Link's throat. Link moved aside and the Antihero's sword plunged deep into the ground beside his neck, scraping his armor with a horrible screech.

As Nemo tried to free his weapon, Link brought his knee up into the Antihero's abdomen and knocked him away, slashing for his legs as he tried to get to his feet. Nemo tried to leap over the strike, but his boot caught on the Master Sword's tip and he slammed into the ground face-first.

Link raised the sacred blade over his head and gripped it in both hands, aiming the point downwards for the creature's evil heart. Just as he began his stab, Nemo rolled over, snatched up his sword, and jumped up with incredible speed, wrapping his arms around Link's torso.

He took off in flight again, rocketing straight upwards with fantastic speed. Before Link had a chance to struggle, the two of them slammed through the bottom of the flying fortress overhead, bursting out of it several levels later.

Nemo dropped Link several dozen feet out in the open, and the Hero fell backwards, flailing at the air until his back impacted against the flat top of one of the towers on the monstrous flying castle. His breath abandoned him again, his entire body wracked with pain at the repeated impacts, and Link groaned, struggling to stay conscious.

Seeing a dark shape come careening back down at him, Link summoned what strength he could muster and rolled out of the way, just as the Antihero smashed through the tower where he had been laying.

Link could hear several more impacts as Nemo kept going, and he was suddenly glad he hadn't been hit.

With a tremendous crash, Nemo burst through the metal plating of the tower a few yards away, touching down with a heavy, reverberating impact, and strode forward with his sword raised, pointed at Link. His boots clanged off the armor plating of the tower, sounding like thunder rolling as it echoed off the other towers and spires around them.

Nemo's face twisted into a manically triumphant grin as Link painfully hauled himself to his feet, gripping the hilt of the Master Sword tightly.

"Wearing you down, am I?" the creature sneered. "I suppose now is as good a time as any." He straightened and cleared his throat exaggeratedly, launching into a sarcastic impression of a herald. "The Dark Lord Raneses requests the inestimable honor of your esteemed presence at Hyrule Castle within two weeks. Her Royal Majesty, Princess Zelda, and that big brute you hang out with whose name I don't remember are to come with you and join in your unconditional surrender."

Link gave his twisted double a strange look. "And why would I do that?"

Nemo's evil grin spread even wider. "Because otherwise, he'll kill your mother."

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter was all done more than a week ago, but as I was unfortunately nowhere near the Internet for most of the last two weeks, I couldn't post it until now. By virtue of my having a lot of free time on my hands, though, Chapter 33 is also complete, and I'm well into writing out Chapter 34. Both should be up soon. Thanks as always to all reviewers. I may not always have time to individually respond to reviews, but know that they are appreciated.

(Revision Note: As with the last couple chapters, I fixed the grammar errors but mostly reworded a lot of awkward descriptions. Much better now.)


	33. A Time to Fight

Thirty-Three

Link stared at his double in disbelief. "What did you say?"

The creature cackled gleefully. "Oh, yeah. Turns out mommy dearest is still alive, and Raneses found her. He's going to kill her if you don't surrender, but that doesn't really matter, 'cause I'm going to kill you in a couple minutes anyway."

There was no further time for questions, as the entire fortress vibrated once, as if a giant holding it had hiccuped sharply, and a subtle pulsing that Link had only dimly been aware of in the back of his mind stopped. With another sharp rock, the fortress began pouring smoke from a few of the holes that had been knocked in the massive structure today. Dozens of Oocca swarmed out of every orifice of the monstrous floating castle, fleeing in terror as more explosions sounded throughout the fortress.

Nemo raised his sword. "Don't think you're going anywhere." His face shifted into a manic grin that did not reach his eyes, which still burned with threat and hate. "We're not finished here."

Link raised his own weapon, until their stances were mirrored, and remained silent, waiting for Nemo to make the first move. He was too busy shunting all of his concentration into his combat instincts to make a reply, which had the added effect of keeping him from thinking about the series of life-altering revelations he had experienced today. There could be no distractions for this battle. It would require all his strength and skill just to survive.

Nemo had been right, though; Only one of them would be leaving this battlefield alive.

Swords raised, the Hero and the Antihero charged at each other, the world exploding around them.

* * *

Viserys coughed, trying to see through the thick black smoke pouring into the bridge of _Falcon's Pride_. His fleet was taking a beating at the hands of the Oocca flying fortress; three warships had been destroyed and several others crippled, too damaged to go on. _Falcon's Pride_, _Argent Hawk, _and_ Raven_ were all that remained of his battle group, and the three vessels were all severely damaged.

More bad news was relayed up to the Admiral; the flagship was beginning to run low on ammunition, and there was a problem with one of the engines. The chief mechanic's best estimate gave them perhaps another twenty minutes before they absolutely had to retreat for repairs.

Viserys ordered the bridge windows retracted to clear away the smoke, and once his view was less obstructed, he was able to make out that Oocca were fleeing the fortress in droves, and the structure itself was venting smoke and debris from several large holes.

He ordered the gunners to intensify their barrages, and to force the fortress away from the city if at all possible. As Viserys watched, _Raven _and_ Argent Hawk _fired tow cables into the half-wrecked fortress and strained against it, slowly pulling the fortress away from the city.

A few guns still fired from the fortress, so Viserys ordered _Falcon's Pride_ to provide covering fire for the other two warships. It was on one of these passes that Viserys noticed movement on top of one of the many towers of the fortress, and he extended his telescope for a better look.

To his surprise, there were two shapes dueling on top of the tower, moving with incredible speed, and as he watched, he gradually made out more details in the periodic flashes of light from bomb detonations. One was dressed entirely in black, making him hard to see, and the other was wearing a suit of red-and-gold armor, which reflected the light with his movements. The armored duelist's sword appeared to be glowing, but he couldn't be sure.

The duelist in black appeared to be winning, from what Viserys could see, but a bomb from one of the cannons on _Raven_ detonated against the tower where the duel was being fought, and he lost sight of them.

He frowned thoughtfully. Neither of them looked like Oocca, and he wondered who would be up in the middle of the conflagration the fortress had become, fighting.

Viserys returned his attention to what his own people were doing, and resumed directing the battle. His concentration could not afford to lapse, even for so strange an event.

* * *

Midna tumbled head-over-heels through the air, thrown by an explosion, and only just barely managed to save herself from making an unplanned landing in a heap of rubble near the main gate.

She immediately levitated up to the top of the wall to get a better look at the battle and also to spend a few moments out of the range of monsters while she oriented herself.

Midna glanced up at the sky just in time to see two bizarre things happen: One, Arnak, who could apparently now fly by himself, smashed his way straight through the bottom of the flying fortress, and several shuddering explosions resulted from this.

The second bizarre thing also involved the flying fortress. Barely a few moments after Arnak, something else smashed through the fortress, and in the brief flash she caught before it was gone, she realized it was Link and someone else locked in a death-grip as they hurtled upward.

In keeping with all that had happened to her today, she was, of course, attacked before she could go to either Triforce Bearer's aid.

An arrow came within inches of her breastplate before Midna's hand, guided by her superhuman reflexes, shot out almost by itself and caught it. She immediately located the archer, and saw it was one of those little Bulblins that she despised so much, standing next to several more like it and a Darknut, who towered over the smaller Bulblins like a mountain over an anthill. The group of enemies stood on the roof of a nearby warehouse, which more enemies were in the process of looting.

Launching herself into the air, Midna flung a barrage of energy spheres at the Bulblins as she flew toward them, then swerved around the Darknut's strike before dispatching the monsters accompanying him with a quick, deadly combination of slashes.

The giant armored warrior would of course require a little more effort, and so Midna backed off a few paces and readied her blade. The Darknut attacked first, with a sweeping horizontal strike, and Midna leaped over it, her feet briefly touching down on the wide blade to use it as a springboard for a flip over the warrior's head.

During the course of her flip, at the point when she was almost completely upside down, Midna used her momentum to fuel a strike directly on the Darknut's head, which resulted in his helmet splitting into two pieces.

Without pausing, Midna slashed at the armored giant's back immediately upon landing, cutting deeply into the straps that held his outer suit of armor together. She grinned, having perfectly executed the Helm Splitter technique Link often used, and on her first try, too.

Seeing that her foe was still a bit off-balance from the blow to his head, Midna planted her boot in the middle of his back and shoved him off the edge of the warehouse's roof, leaning over to watch him fall.

The flying fortress overhead shuddered with a terrible groaning of metal and belched smoke from any available holes. Dozens of Oocca poured out of the gigantic structure, fleeing in all directions. At the same time, Midna sensed the cessation of the effect of the mind-control crystal, and the army on the ground suddenly lost all sense of organization.

The Darknuts that she could see kept doing whatever they had been doing, but everything else scattered in all directions, their reactions ranging from utter motionlessness to panicked scurrying through the streets.

Midna raised an eyebrow. Just like that, this battle had become winnable. All the defenders had to do now was chase the disorganized enemy army out of the city, and so Midna set about helping them do just that.

"This should be fun," she said to herself with a grin.

* * *

Link grunted as Nemo managed to catch him under the chin with his boot, spinning to slash across his chest in the next instant. The chestplate of the Magic Armor emitted a screech and a shower of sparks as the Antihero dragged his blade across it, and Link jumped back to bring the Master Sword back into a guard position.

The creature with his face cackled, his unearthly red eyes glowing in the darkness. It had to be near midnight, and the only light came from the explosions and fires across the battlefield, the moon occasionally peeking out from behind the clouds like a timid child hiding behind its mother's skirts. Nemo was hard to see in his black clothing, and Link's visibility was further limited by a lucky cut the Antihero had gotten in above his right eye, which dripped blood down one side of his face.

"You're pathetic, you know that?" Nemo sneered. "Without your friends around to back you up, you're barely worth fighting at all."

Link did not reply as he reached up with one gauntleted hand to wipe the blood and sweat out of his eyes. He refused to let the creature provoke him into a rushed attack. Despite his bold words, Nemo was obviously getting tired, and breathed heavily as they paused in their combat for a moment.

The Hero felt equally as tired, but this was the end, and Link knew he had to give it his all. As the creature had said, one of them was going to die this day, and the young warrior was going to make sure it was not himself.

Another explosion shook the flying fortress, and Link knew it was coming apart in the air, but there was no way Nemo was going to let him leave. The crazed monster obviously didn't care if he lived or not; if he died, he wanted to take Link with him.

The two resumed their duel, their swords sparking as they slammed together again and again. In a series of terrific explosions, gouts of flame mimicked the showers of sparks, spewing out of the rapidly decaying fortress as it ripped itself apart.

Link was dimly aware, in the back of his mind, that the flying fortress was moving and rapidly losing altitude, but holding off the Antihero occupied the rest of his concentration. The monster moved with frantic speed now, trying to overwhelm Link with the sheer power and velocity of his strikes, but the Hero held him back, returning the creature's blows whenever possible.

The Hero sidestepped another thrust aimed for his chest and whipped his sword around in a two-handed arc, aimed for Nemo's head. The Antihero ducked under it and tried to stab again, but Link brought his blade down and scraped the Master Sword along the length of Nemo's sword.

He locked the blade against Nemo's and strained forward, trying to push his opponent backwards into the hole in the tower's roof. The tip of a spire nearby broke off as a fireball tore its way out, and the remnants of the spire fell like a toppled tree and crashed into the tower the two of them were on, shaking it violently.

Nemo stumbled, and Link took advantage of this to sink his blade deep into the Antihero's side. The creature wrenched himself away, howling in pain, and backed off a few paces, holding his sword up in front of him.

Link scowled. That would have finished off an ordinary opponent, but Nemo had regenerative powers, he remembered.

"Close, Hero. Very close." Nemo stretched as the wound in his side mended itself and spun his sword through his fingers. "But, I'm not as fragile as you, it seems." He sneered. "I don't need armor."

Link gave no reply as he shifted his stance, holding his sword pointed at the sky as he focused power in the blade. Just as Nemo started forward, Link leaped high into the air and brought the Master Sword down, releasing the power as soon as his sword touched Nemo's.

The effect was immediate, as the Antihero was blasted off his feet and several yards away. Before the creature could get up, Link ran forward again, jumping into the air once more for the finishing move he had perfected over the course of many battles.

Nemo managed, just barely, to roll out of the way as Link's blade stabbed into the armor plating of the tower, and he lashed out with a spin kick, trying to knock Link down.

Link leaped over the kick, but just as he landed, the plating gave way and collapsed into the hole Nemo had made, taking the Hero with it. He fell for several long moments, passing through several successive holes, before he finally hit a solid floor.

He groaned; he really wished that would stop happening.

As Link got to his feet, he realized he was alone, at least for the moment, and so he took a look around the room in which he found himself. It appeared to be a cannon room, and it was empty. The darkness made it hard to see, and Link nearly tripped over a box of ammunition as he moved further into the room.

He was unlikely to get another opportunity soon, and so Link pulled out a bottle of Great Fairy's Tears and removed the cork. The young warrior drained the entire bottle and drew in a deep breath as its restorative properties coursed through him, washing away all his pain and fatigue.

Now, Link reflected, what could he do? Nemo would be along any second, and he needed to find some way to end the fight quickly. The flying fortress was in its last throes of destruction, and would soon completely obliterate itself, taking anything still aboard with it.

The holes Link had fallen through appeared to be the only way into the chamber that he could see, and a plan suddenly formed in his mind. Working quickly, he pulled a cannon free and aimed it at the hole in the ceiling of the cannon room. Next, he loaded the cannon, finding it to be not much different than the cannons he'd found in Snowpeak Manor. He rested his hand on the trigger mechanism, ready now to spring his surprise on his opponent.

Angry, demented screaming preceded Nemo's arrival as he fell through the holes, and he landed in a heap on the floor of the chamber. Link triggered the cannon just as the Antihero got to his feet.

Nemo had just enough time to widen his eyes in horror before the cannonball caught him in the chest and blew him backwards, taking the wall of the room with him.

Link grinned in satisfaction, and had just relaxed his guard when the fortress exploded around him.

* * *

Arnak focused his efforts on eliminating as many of the enemy as possible, and so after destroying the control crystal, the Bearer of Power returned to the city streets, hunting the monsters down singly or in groups, however he found them.

He had just finished with a group of Lizalfos when he heard hoof-beats clattering on the stone of the city streets, and turned to see the Grand Duke approaching with a squad of riders, one horse's saddle empty.

Calatia's future ruler raised his helmet's visor and looked down at Arnak from atop his steed, holding the reins with his other hand. "Triforce Bearer!" he called. "We're readying another charge. Will you join us?"

The big man nodded. "Of course."

The Grand Duke gestured to one of his men, who whistled sharply at the riderless horse, pointing to Arnak. It trotted up to the big man, and he swung himself up into the saddle, securing his feet in the stirrups.

The Calatians galloped off immediately, and Arnak joined them, settling into their formation at the far left edge of the street. Their horses formed a wall across the path, and they drove any monsters in their way out into the main avenue, running over any that did not run fast enough.

Once, a Darknut attempted to make a stand against them, but before the riders even reached the gigantic armored warrior, a figure in dark armor overlaid with glowing blue-green lines swooped in and physically picked the Darknut up, carrying it high into the air. Arnak turned to look behind and saw the monster impact with the cobblestones, vanishing with a puff of black smoke.

Midna paused to wave in a sort of half-salute before taking off at high speed down an alley, her sword glowing with a silver light in the darkness.

As they rode through the streets, a few more riders and dozens of soldiers on foot joined their group. The foot soldiers took up position behind the riders, finishing off anything that got through their line, and, working together, they swept each street clean of monsters as they passed through it.

Soon, the majority of the remaining enemies had been driven out into the field, and with a final charge down the main avenue, the riders spread out to engage the remnants of the enemy army in open ground. The formation scattered as the mounted units rode down the fleeing monsters, and the infantry spread out to make sure nothing tried to come back into the city.

Overhead, a warship swooped low to the ground and dropped dozens of bombs on the leading edge of the retreating crowd of monsters. Moments after the explosion, another followed it with a deafening rush of sound and light.

Arnak looked up to see the flying fortress overhead detonate, hurling flaming wreckage in all directions. A large part of the unnaturally buoyant structure, almost entirely aflame, sank slowly to the ground, as if it were sinking in water rather than air.

The big man returned his attention to the battle on the ground. They might not be losing anymore, but the battle wasn't won yet.

* * *

Link was, miraculously, spared from being incinerated in the explosion. Instead, he was hurled by the force of the blast into the open, where he fell for several seconds before landing face-first in shallow water.

The Hero looked around as he picked himself up, and saw that he was inside what had once been a gigantic water tank. Several holes had been ripped in it from any number of explosions, and besides the large one in the ceiling he had fallen through, an enormous ragged gap in the side of the tank drained water at a high rate. He could feel the current around his legs, and the water had already gone from being up to his waist to just above his knees.

A flaming chunk of wreckage slammed into the water a few feet away, and Link paid it no further attention until part of it got up and started moving toward him. Startled, he realized that it was Nemo, his clothes aflame.

Shrieking in a high, eerie tone, the Antihero ran at Link, swinging wildly. Link dodged the strikes, blocking what he could not dodge with his shield. He tried to strike back, but Nemo moved too fast for him to do anything other than defend.

The heat from his opponent rolled over him in waves, and Link could barely keep his eyes open in the face of the relentless assault on his senses. Finally, he tripped over something on the bottom of the tank and fell back into the water, dodging more strikes and stabs from the Antihero, who screamed incoherently as he attacked without letup.

Soaked, Link jumped from the water up onto the still-flaming chunk of wreckage Nemo had landed with, and pushed off with his legs, scattering droplets of water in all directions.

The Hero brought his sword down in a powerful two-handed overhand slash, which Nemo managed to dodge, but even as he landed, Link threw himself into a back-flip, reaching back to pull out a weapon he had been wanting to use ever since he had heard of it.

He landed on his feet on the chunk of wreckage, and, with the flames licking around his legs, Link sheathed his sword and aimed the head of the Staff of Lightning at his opponent.

A white-hot bolt of lightning exploded out of the staff and across the room, searching out the Antihero with deadly jagged fingers. Link heard his twisted double's scream of pain as the lightning tore into his body with all the fury of a raging thunderstorm.

The force of the strike knocked Nemo out into open air, and Link leaped from the flaming chunk of wreckage, sprinting over to the hole in the side of the tank. Activating the Icarus Wings, he leaped out of the hole and soared away from the crashing fortress, looking around for his opponent.

Nemo swooped in, still aflame, and flung himself at the Hero like a burning arrow. Link raised the Staff of Lightning, and the creature ran into the ball at the head of the staff.

Their eyes met, and Link activated the staff again. With an ear-splitting peal of thunder, another bolt of lightning knocked the creature away, propelling him across the sky. He sent another after it, and felt his head ring from the tremendous sound.

Link watched as Nemo fell, the lightning still sparking across his body, but, just as he was about to hit the ground, the Antihero righted himself and sped back up into the air. He crashed through a burning fragment of falling debris, but did not slow in his flight, straight at Link.

The Hero's jaw set into a determined line. Now was the time to end this. He put away the Staff of Lightning and drew the Master Sword for what he hoped would not be the last time.

Link sped straight at his dark counterpart, matching his speed, and within moments the two collided in an explosion of flame and steel. A sword pierced a heart, and the Antihero smiled grimly, his face wreathed in flame.

"It's… over," he said, and all went black as the ground rushed up at them.

* * *

A gigantic detonation drew Midna's attention to the sky, and she saw the flying fortress overheard tear itself to pieces, the debris falling like flaming rain down over the city and the field around it.

With a deafening blast of thunder, a bolt of lightning tore across the sky within the falling wreckage, and, moments later, another bolt and an inhuman howl of agony followed it. Midna was impressed as she realized that Link had just used the Staff of Lightning, and she looked for the bolts' source, trying to spot the Hero.

Her attention was further drawn to something man-shaped that was on fire as it suddenly changed course in mid-air, heading for another speck of what she thought was wreckage.

Midna's heart skipped a beat as she realized what the two objects were, and she enhanced her vision to look closer at them. She was just in time to see the combatants collide, and a long piece of sharp steel erupt from one of their backs. The flame from the Antihero, who she realized was the one on fire, obscured the two men, and she could not see which one had been stabbed as they plummeted for the ground.

She set off at top speed for them, fearing what she might find.

* * *

Arnak noticed a definite shift in the overall mood of the enemy army as he fought. They knew they were losing now, and the defenders picked up on this. The Calatians fought with renewed vigor, inspired by the sight of the flying fortress exploding overhead.

The battle in the field had become a rout, and the defenders cheered and whooped as they chased the monsters out of their city and back into the forest. The ragged remnants of the Dark Lord's army fled blindly, leaderless and disorderly, and a large number of them, in a darkly amusing twist, ran straight under the path of the crashing Oocca fortress and were destroyed under the wreckage.

What had started out as a force of eight thousand or more was now reduced to perhaps three thousand, by Arnak's estimate, and this did not include any creatures still left in the city. He did not yet know the cost of lives on his own side, and he feared it was high. But, it was not as high as it would have been had he and the others not been here, and that was an encouraging thought.

He turned to watch the burning remnants of the flying fortress settle into the edge of the wide field around the city and the river to the east, and a sense of satisfaction settled over the big man. Any destruction visited upon the conquerors was another small step in avenging his wife and village. Now that he had more control and understanding of the Triforce of Power, Arnak would be able to accomplish more in the war, and he knew the tide of the invasion was about to turn.

The enemy's failure to capture Belakar City would undoubtedly make their leadership very angry, and he knew they must prepare for any retaliatory strikes.

The war was not over yet.

* * *

Kyron was so absorbed in cursing and raging at the control crystal in front of him that it took him several seconds to realize someone else had entered the room, his private chamber high atop his palace.

He readied an angry rebuke to hurl at the intruder for disturbing him before he realized who it was and the rebuke died in his throat.

It was his mysterious ally, shrouded as always in his enormous black cloak, his glowing yellow eyes the only part of his face visible.

"I am sure you know what has happened," Kyron said bitterly.

The Dark Lord nodded. "I do."

"I do not know what went wrong. The army far outnumbered them, and the fortress should have been more than a match for the air fleet." Kyron clenched his fists in frustration.

"The battle served its purpose," the Dark Lord replied. "Do not concern yourself with the loss of a few pawns."

"A few pawns!" Kyron spluttered. "No matter how large our army, the loss of so many cannot be taken so lightly!" The Oocca ruler peered curiously at the cloaked man. "Can it? What are you planning?"

The Dark Lord towered over him, looking down with malevolent amusement. "I need time to finish my preparations. Keep the Triforce Bearers busy for a few weeks."

Kyron turned to more fully face his ally. "Do you have any suggestions as to how? We cannot afford for them to interfere in any more of the campaigns."

The Dark Lord waved dismissively. "Any interference in our plans is minimal. Once the Triforce is mine, I can easily repair any damage the Hero or his companions achieve. This is but a minor obstacle in our path, Kyron." His cloak fanned out slightly as he took a few steps toward the Oocca ruler. "Cease moving the shipyards. They are undoubtedly a target in their plans, and if we allow them to locate the shipyards and formulate an attack, the planning and preparations will occupy them long enough for me to finish my own preparations. Perhaps I will allow them to retake Hyrule, also. It can just as easily be retaken once the Triforce Bearers are defeated."

"But… the shipyards are invaluable to the war effort! We cannot sacrifice them!" Kyron said, aghast.

The Dark Lord leaned in closer, narrowing his yellow eyes. "Everything is expendable. They must be delayed, no matter the cost. Soldiers and equipment can be regained. Time cannot." He straightened. "Not yet."

Kyron nodded slowly, looking out at the stars visible through the window on one side of the chamber. "Very well. I will do what I can. Will you keep me informed of your progress?"

There was no answer, only shadows gathered in the corners of the room.

* * *

It took Midna several agonizingly long moments to locate the place where Link had fallen. She saw the Master Sword first, its distinctive blue hilt protruding from a mound of burning wreckage.

When she reached the sacred weapon, the blade was buried in the chest of a body, which was on fire, and it took her a moment to recognize the corpse as that of the Antihero. The flames danced across the creature's still form, steadily erasing him from existence.

Several feet away, Midna spotted a glint of gold, and scrambled to it, falling to her knees as she pulled away the debris piled atop the shape.

Link's eyes were closed, and he did not respond when she touched his face, aghast at the blood running from the cut above his eye. Midna heaved a deep sigh of relief when she found his pulse, and was further encouraged when he shifted, his armor rustling.

Midna sat back, her own armor clanking as she settled heavily on the ground next to Link. It took him a while to open his eyes, and once he finally did, he only raised himself up slightly before he groaned and laid back down.

She smiled as she put her hand under his shoulder. "Come on, Mr. Hero. A battlefield is no place for a nap."

Link coughed as he sat up, and his sapphire-blue eyes flickered open, meeting hers. He grunted with effort as he shifted a chunk of debris out from under himself. "She's…alive," he said, breathing heavily.

"Who is?" Midna asked.

"My mother. Nemo said… he said Raneses has her."

Midna's brow furrowed. "Do you think he was telling the truth?"

Link shook his head, grimacing. "I don't know."

She helped him to his feet. "Well, let's get you patched up, and then we'll look into it. Sound good?"

He nodded wordlessly, and the two of them set off for the relative safety of the city.

* * *

Thousands of miles away from the battlefield, in a fortress few knew of and even fewer could find, a woman sat against the wall of a tiny cell and contemplated all that had happened to her. Prisons had that effect on most people, she thought with a hint of a smile, as there was not much else to do.

Her life had not been an easy one, and she had known both incredible happiness and incredible pain. She had once been an ordinary merchant's daughter, content with her life in Castle Town, and her cares had once extended not much further than finding a good husband and settling down to raise a family. Knowledge had been her passion, and had she not found a husband, she would have put in for a position in the Royal Archives, to care for the priceless information stored there.

But, she had met a good man and had fallen in love, and she and her husband had spent several happy years together. They had had a son, her precious little boy, whom she had known only for three years before he was torn away from her along with her husband and the rest of her life.

She had known both wealth and poverty, and the transition had been abrupt. Her husband and his younger brother had turned out to be the last heirs of a once-powerful noble house, and thus were entitled to incredible riches hidden deep inside a mountain mine. They had claimed the riches, and while this had brought them happiness for a few short years, it all ended in tears and sadness, costing her husband his brother and very nearly her son his father.

And then, when things seemed to be picking up, after her husband found them a new place to start over, her life was torn to shreds by a bandit attack. Her husband had been killed right in front of her, trying to defend her, and till recently, the woman thought her son had suffered the same fate at the hands of the merciless bandits.

But now she knew. In her heart, Nomi Fenris knew Link was alive. It brought both happiness and sadness to her. She was so happy that her son was alive that she thought her heart would burst, but she was also saddened to know that she had missed out on so much of his life.

On that terrible day when her life was shattered, Nomi had been spared by the bandits, but only after one of them prevented another from inflicting a mortal wound upon her. She had been stabbed in the upper chest, just below her shoulder, and her fingers came up to touch the scar there as she remembered.

She had very nearly died anyway, but one of the bandits whose heart was a little softer than his comrades insisted on nursing her back to health. His reasoning had been that, since she was very beautiful, she would fetch a good price in the slave markets in the uncivilized southern part of the continent.

It was somewhat ironic, Nomi thought, as slavery had been banned in Hyrule for more than four hundred years, but it kept coming back to ruin her life. Thankfully, she had been spared the horrors of the slave markets, as the bandits had been accosted by some guards who were escorting a noble lady through the forest, on her way to visit a friend who lived in southern Faron Province. During the confusion, Nomi had escaped, and had been rescued by the lady's bodyguards.

Thinking both her son and husband to be dead, Nomi had accepted the lady's offer of employment, and spent the next fifteen years as the lady's personal maid on their country estate in northern Lanayru Province.

The lady and her husband, a baron who ran a shipping company, had treated her kindly, but Nomi never really recovered from Leif's death. When the Oocca invaded and drove the people of Hyrule into hiding, Nomi had accompanied her employers to the Kokiri Forest, where she had heard tales of the new Hero, a youth from the south who had driven back the Twilight covering the land. He had reportedly battled Ganondorf himself and won, and there was no end to the stories of how this titanic duel had gone, each one more fanciful than the last.

Nomi had not really cared until she finally saw the young man for herself, when the crowd of refugees had seen him off on a new quest to defeat the Oocca with a band of warriors. There had been something in the way he moved that had seemed familiar, and when he stopped to give the crowd a final wave, and she got a good look at his face, her heart had all but leaped right out of her chest.

The Hero was none other than her son, Link! Nomi's sadness had lifted in that moment, replaced by unmitigated joy and a new sense of hope.

Over the next few weeks, she had questioned anyone who would tell her about the Hero, and they had been only too happy to tell her about Hyrule's famous protector. He had come from the tiny village of Ordon to the south, and a few of the residents had told Nomi stories of her son's youth, assuming her to be merely another interested citizen. He had grown into a fine young man, well liked by all in the village, and when monsters had attacked the ranching community, he had charged after the captured children without a second thought.

What had happened to him next was largely rumor and hearsay, but almost everyone she talked to claimed to have met or at least seen Link in the months that followed as he went about his quest, though none of them had known he was the Chosen Hero till the crisis was over. No one had a bad word to say about the Hero, and many regaled Nomi with stories of how Link had helped them in some way, however minor.

The Hero's mother had devoured these stories with growing pride, astonished at how her son had turned out. There was still a nagging doubt in the back of her mind during this time that this extraordinary man was not the little boy who had been ripped away from her, but all doubts had been blown away when she saw him again.

When Princess Zelda returned and made her speech to the refugees, the noble young man in green standing resolutely next to her, Nomi had not heard a word the princess said. Her eyes had instead been focused on Link, taking in the man he had become. He had too much of his father in his face and stance to be anyone other than her son, but gone was the innocent little boy she had known for so painfully brief a time. In his place was a determined young man with hard eyes, one who had seen terrors that would have overcome ordinary men and had faced them down without fear.

When he held the Master Sword high, it had finally sunk in that her son was the Hero, the chosen warrior of the Goddesses themselves, one whose duty was to protect all of Hyrule from the nightmares that besieged it, just like his ancestor that her husband had told her about.

Nomi had been so proud in that moment, and had nearly dashed forward out of the crowd to tell her son who she was and how proud of him she was. But, also in that moment, she had been strangely afraid.

What would she say to such an individual, even if he was her son, her own flesh and blood?

Just as Nomi had summoned the courage to seek out her son and tell him, he had left again, totally oblivious of what he was leaving behind as he went off to battle Hyrule's enemies once more. Nomi had been somewhat hurt, but she knew Link had no idea who she was and would not have recognized her even if he had seen her.

Her thoughts had been dominated with her son since that time, up till the gigantic man with glowing eyes picked her out of the crowd and carried her off.

It was like a nightmare, not quite real around her, and Nomi knew only that she was in terrible danger here in this cold, depressing place. She had begun to form a guess as to why she was here, and if the man with glowing eyes was an enemy of her son, he would undoubtedly try to use her as leverage against Link, to force him to surrender.

Well, she was not entirely helpless, and she refused to be a pawn in someone's scheme. She knew her son would come to save her, but until that time, Nomi would see what she could find out about her captor. Perhaps, if he was boastful, he would brag to her about what he was planning for her son and she could find a way to tell Link, including any weaknesses he could exploit.

Nomi Fenris sat back against the cold stone wall of her cell and waited. There was little else she could do until Link came.

* * *

In the chaos of the battlefield, as the defenders of Belakar City chased away those who had tried to invade it, many fires burned, scattered about the field. Most of these fires emanated from burning pieces of the Oocca fortress that had been destroyed, and were barely noteworthy, soon to burn themselves out or be extinguished.

One fire, however, was significant, though few knew so. In this fire burned the remains of a centuries-old creature, and it was significant because this marked the permanent end of the creature.

The monster had been killed many times over the years, but always, through some twist of the universe's fabric under Fate's hands, a body always remained behind. Many times, the creature known as the Antihero sought out its counterpart, the Chosen Hero, and each time it assaulted the protectors of Hyrule, it was defeated and left behind, forgotten by those who had bested it.

The body would lay silent until another individual was called upon by the Goddesses to protect their chosen land, and at that time, it would arise and take on the characteristics of the Hero, becoming a twisted double to oppose them.

But, this latest incarnation, which had been the only Antihero to give itself a name, had been perhaps the most vicious iteration, by virtue of coming the closest to becoming an independent being. Ironically, had the monster who called himself Nemo succeeded in killing Link, as he came so close to doing, he would have been freed from the curse that formed him, and, in keeping with the design of the sorcerer who had created the first Antihero, would have promptly died anyway.

As the creature's body burned, the curse ceased to exist, and all the pent-up energy the Antihero had acquired in its centuries of existence that kept it going and granted it its unnatural abilities was released back into the world.

In keeping with what usually happened after its bearer defeated a foe, the Triforce of Courage gathered the energy to itself and flooded it into its bearer, greatly strengthening him.

Had Nemo still been alive, he would have found it irritatingly amusing that his entire existence, spent trying to kill the Hero, full of hate until he was almost nothing more than his mission to eliminate his double, had instead ended up making Link far stronger than he ever would have been otherwise. Indeed, Fate worked in strange ways.

Or rather, those who manipulated Fate did.

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter gave me a bit of trouble, and I had to rewrite a fairly large part of it, but hopefully it turned out good. I've started up a Metroid story as a secondary project, so if you're interested, you can find it through my profile. And, as long as I'm advertising stories here, check out '_The Same Coin_' by Windblown Wanderer, which you can find in my 'Favorites' section. I beta read the story, a unique take on Dark Link, the Twilight Realm, and the nature of Light and Shadow. Chapter 34 of this story is nearing completion, so it should be up soon. Till then!

(Revision Note: The usual.)


	34. A Time to Rest

Thirty-Four

The joy could practically be felt in the air as the citizens of Belakar City emerged from wherever they had taken shelter during the battle. Raskys strolled down the center of the street, jauntily waving to a few people he saw as he made his way to the palace. It was rumored that, as soon as was feasible, the Emperor would throw a citywide celebration to commemorate their victory, and Raskys looked forward to this with eager anticipation. If anybody knew how to throw a party, it was royalty.

He was less enthusiastic, however, about the reason he was currently making his way to the palace. Viserys had called an immediate meeting, a sort of 'after-action review', and as an officer, Raskys was required to attend. The Mercenary King wanted to put together the enemy's original strategy as closely as he could, to see what he could learn from it, and as someone who had been on the front lines, Raskys had potentially invaluable information.

That didn't make him hurry his step, though. Running would probably hurt, anyway, from the wound in his side. He'd been grazed by a piece of shrapnel, and would be seeking out a healer as soon as possible.

He'd seen quite a lot today. Five years ago, Raskys would have dismissed magic as the dominion of conjurers of cheap tricks and con men, but he'd seen things today that had quite frankly terrified him. Never mind that the wielders of these abilities had been on his side; that much power was just something mortals weren't meant to have, in his opinion.

Midna's various displays had been bad enough, but it had been Arnak who had scared the soldier the most. The big man had demonstrated anger the likes of which Raskys hadn't seen before, and he was worried about his friend. Most of the time, Arnak was serious and duty-minded, but during the months they had traveled together, Raskys had gotten the occasional glimpse of what Arnak must have been like before his wife was killed. He seemed to naturally be a gentle, happy person, loyal to his friends and family; the kind of man who would only use force when he thought it was absolutely necessary.

But during the battle, anger had dominated the Bearer of Power whenever Raskys had seen him, until he seemed a dervish of destruction, an unstoppable titan from the legends of old. What did this mean? Did this have anything to do with his Triforce? From the stories Raskys had heard about its previous bearer, the Triforce of Power could be very dangerous in the wrong hands.

Were Arnak's hands becoming the wrong ones? Was he being corrupted by the ancient relic he bore, or was Raskys just worrying about nothing? There were too many questions, and the soldier did not know enough about the Triforce to answer them.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Princess Zelda approached and fell into step with Raskys, her clothes spattered with a bit of grime and mud, but otherwise untouched. Her rapier, he saw as she cleaned it, was covered in residue from her fallen enemies. He smiled to himself. It figured.

The soldier inclined his head in respect. "Your Majesty. Are you going to the palace, also?"

She nodded. "I am meeting with Viserys to discuss our next course of action."

Raskys arched an eyebrow. "The battle's barely over and you're already planning our next one?"

Zelda nodded again, absently reaching up to wipe away a smudge of dirt on her cheek with her glove. "We must move quickly, to keep the enemy leadership off-balance. Erik is currently contacting the other Sheikah to see if anything is known about the enemy's other activities. If they are attempting any other large-scale campaigns our group can foil, we will know soon enough."

* * *

A soft noise, perhaps a footstep, woke Link. He looked around in the darkness, but did not see anything but the furnishings of his sumptuously appointed room in the palace. The Emperor had insisted on it, and so after a brief examination by the royal physician, who pronounced him lucky to be alive, the young warrior had been left alone to sleep.

"I'm sorry if I woke you." The voice, barely more than a whisper, sounded from around a yard away, and Link picked out a shape crouched just beyond the table next to his bed.

He sat up, and the figure stepped into a spot of light cast onto the carpet by the moon's light. Link could still make out few details, other than his 'guest' was a woman in dark clothing with long auburn hair that hung to her waist in a braid draped over one shoulder. She wore a sword at her hip, beautiful but subdued in its craftsmanship.

"Who are you?" he asked, gritting his teeth as he sat up further. His entire back was one massive bruise, and it hurt to move.

"A friend," she replied. Her eyes caught the light, and he could see that they were red, like Erik's. "I have information you may find useful, Hero." She indicated a sheet of paper on his table with one gloved hand. "Look it over at your convenience."

He reached out to take it, but her lips curled in a gentle smile and she moved the paper out of his reach. "Later. Your priority should be on recovering, Hero. You'll need to be in shape for this."

"Thank you," Link said.

"No need. We're always happy to help the right people." She leaned in closer, and he got a good look at her serious expression. "Just make sure you and your allies stay the right people."

Link looked down at the paper. "What does that mean?"

"What does what mean?" asked a different, though familiar voice. Midna entered the room with a pitcher of water and two glasses in her hands, once again dressed in her usual long, flowing robe and skirt. She raised the pitcher. "Thirsty?"

He nodded, and she handed him a glass after filling it. She set down the pitcher and picked up the piece of paper, absently gesturing at a lamp and lighting it.

She scanned it for a few moments and arched an amused eyebrow, looking over at him. "I take it you had a visitor?"

Link took another sip of his water. "Yeah, she must have left just before you came in."

Midna chuckled. " 'She'? Should I be jealous?"

He grinned playfully. "I don't know, should you?"

She smiled, pointing a long, slender finger at him. "If you weren't all beat up already, I'd give you a good smack for that one, Mr. Hero. Wanna know what this says?" She held up the paper the woman had left behind.

He set his glass down and lay back against the pillows. While comfortable, the bed was hard to get settled in, as he was used to sleeping on the ground. "Sure," he said, putting his hands behind his head.

"It says here that our friends the Sheikah have been rather busy while we've been gallivanting around the world, fighting evil and recovering ridiculously powerful artifacts." Midna took a sip of her own water before continuing. "They think they know where the Oocca shipyards might be, so they're letting us know to stay ready for when they make confirmation. As they're mobile, they think we should hit the shipyards as soon as possible before we lose them again. Looks like you'll be using your new toy again pretty soon, huh?" She grinned. "I saw you use it. Very impressive."

Link frowned thoughtfully. "I could do a lot more with the staff if I had better control."

Midna chuckled. "Thought so."

He looked over at her. "Thought so what?"

She pointed at him again, specifically at his left hand, which he had moved to rest on his stomach. "You wouldn't be you if you weren't training for something. What was that you told Colin? 'Never think you're as good as you can be,' or something similarly profound."

"It's true."

"It's strange, is what it is. Usually people your age aren't thinking about words of wisdom for the next generation." She smiled playfully. "You're not an ordinary young man, Link Fenris."

He held up his left hand, with its Triforce symbol and swirling blue-green markings. "I think that's been established already."

Link laid his hand back down and let a frown come over his face. "Do you think he was telling the truth? Does Raneses really have my mother?" He looked up at the ceiling, feeling his hand clench into a fist. "Do you think he'd kill her if I don't surrender to him?"

Midna dragged a chair over and sat down in it. "I don't know, Link. If he's taken her, he obviously knows more about you than you do about him. _You_ didn't even know anything about her before this morning, let alone if she was still alive. I think we're dealing with one sneaky, manipulative Dark Lord here, maybe even worse than his ancestor."

He looked over at her, meeting her ruby eyes. "Should I do it?"

Midna leaned back in her chair and spread her hands. "Surrender? Link, you don't even know if he really has her or not. For all you know, he could be lying to manipulate you into ending the war for him. Face it, Link; with what we know about this new Dark Lord, without you and the other two Bearers, the world is his for the taking. The Triforce is pretty much our only advantage right now." She grinned quickly. "Besides me, of course."

He grinned right back at her. "Yeah, we'll send you to him, and we can drive him crazy with sarcasm and witty remarks. Done, war over."

Midna grinned even wider. "What are we waiting for, then?" Her smile faded. "But seriously, Link, you may have to make a hard choice, here. As the Hero, can you afford to put your personal feelings and attachments before your duty? You need to be thinking clearly all the time, and if you're distracted, the consequences could be disastrous. I'm the last person to go around quoting proverbs, but have you ever heard the one about how the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?"

"Yes, I've heard it," Link said, looking back up at the ceiling. "Maybe that's why most Heroes are orphans, with no family, no deep connections." He looked back over at his friend. "But she's my mother, Midna. I've never known her, and I'd do anything to meet her after all these years."

She crossed her arms. "Anything? Even sacrifice the war? Because that's what it may come to, Link. I hate to put it like this, but your choice is essentially this:" She held her hands out, like they were the trays of a scale. "Your mother's life, or everyone else's?"

Link lifted his hand from the sheet, as if trying to wave the responsibility away. "I… I don't…"

Midna reached out to touch his arm. "I'm not asking for an answer right now. Obviously, this is a big issue." She patted his shoulder. "Right now, you should focus on resting up. We don't need you half-dead the next time there's an ungodly monster that needs fighting." She smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. "Now, get some rest. I'll be back to check on you in the morning."

Link continued to look up at the ceiling of his room as she left, knowing sleep would be impossible now.

* * *

Arnak paced back and forth at one end of the head table of the huge table in the extravagantly decorated dining hall, which was being used as a conference room by Viserys and the other commanders. The gathered warriors waited for the final attendants to arrive, and Arnak found himself extremely impatient.

Despite his attempts to calm himself, the battle rage still coursed through the big man, and he found his temper short. He narrowly managed to contain his instinctive reaction when someone stepped up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Instead, he forced his face into a polite smile as he turned.

"Hi," said Midna, one hand behind her back, hidden by her long, flowing outer robe. "I've got a present for you. Well, it's from me and Link."

Arnak forced his eyebrows to raise in interest. "Oh?"

She nodded, and his irritation was entirely forgotten when she produced the item she had been hiding behind her back. She held in her hands a masterfully crafted greatsword in a richly decorated scabbard, about five-and-a-half feet long altogether. It was obviously made for someone of above-average stature, and the hilt was thick, made for large hands. As he took it, Arnak was surprised to note how light the sword felt. From its size, he had been expecting it to be much heavier.

At his silent question, Midna explained its origins. "We found it in the Hero of Lightning's tomb, and it practically had your name written on it, so I made Link take it along. It was made by the Gorons for the Hero of Lightning, and as you can see, their reputation as master metalworkers is well founded."

Arnak drew the sword and swiped it through the air experimentally, hefting it in both hands to test the balance. This was quite possibly the finest weapon he had ever held. It was perfectly balanced, and had kept its edge despite its age. This would be a devastating weapon in the hands of someone who knew how to use it, which he was. As he held it, it seemed to the big man that this weapon had been forged for him, so natural it felt in his grip.

Midna grinned. "Link's too short to use this, and if he did, he'd have to use both hands all the time. I figured it'd be just perfect for you." She gestured up at him. At just under seven feet, Arnak was nearly a foot taller than the Twilight Princess, who was tall in her own right.

He sheathed the greatsword. "Thank you."

She nodded once. "Sure. I hope you get some good use out of it."

Arnak frowned, holding the weapon up for emphasis. "It is likely I will. Viserys is planning to attack the Oocca shipyards as soon as he finds them, and he has requested our assistance in destroying them."

The door at the far end opened, and Raskys and Princess Zelda entered. Once everyone had settled into the seats indicated, Viserys began the meeting.

* * *

Shad removed his glasses and blinked several times, feeling an almost grainy texture when he did so. It had to be long after midnight, but he was so interested, and the Oocca so willing to talk, that he knew they wouldn't be stopping anytime soon.

Putting his glasses back on, Shad took a sip of water and looked across the table at the sky being. "Tell me more about the Great Rebellion, if you would, please. You've mentioned that several times."

The Oocca nodded, interlacing his long fingers on the tabletop. "Well, as the name suggests, it was when our ancestors' slaves -your ancestors- rose up and demanded to be released, about two thousand years ago. They were so fervent that we had no choice but to accept their demands, though there were huge losses on both sides.

"They were led by a man whose name has been forgotten, either willfully by our chroniclers, or simply by accident, whom we now just call the Instigator instead. This man got hold of some incredible power, which he wielded against the Oocca of the time, and after laying waste to most of our military by himself, if the story can be believed, he finally succeeded in convincing my people to let yours go. That's the simplified version, of course, but if you like, I can give you a more detailed account."

Shad peered curiously at the Oocca. "That sounds very similar to the legends among my people of the First Hero, the very first bearer of the Triforce of Courage, and, though disputed, he is rumored to have been the first wielder of the Master Sword as well. He was supposed to have liberated all intelligent races from a powerful oppressor who had enslaved them. I had thought him mostly myth! But, if both sides of the story are so alike…"

The Oocca nodded again. "There must be an element of truth. It is likely your First Hero and our Instigator are the same man."

Shad sat up straighter, his fatigue entirely forgotten. "What else can you tell me about him?"

* * *

After the meeting was over, Raskys found himself too keyed up to sleep, too flush with the remaining adrenaline left over from the battle, and so he wandered the halls of the palace through the late night and early morning hours, marveling over the level of activity that still ran through the building even at this hour. Servants in their brightly colored livery sped through the halls, fetching water or food for their masters that were still awake, or preparing the following morning's breakfast, or just generally tidying up the minimal battle damage the palace had sustained during the latter portions of the siege.

Eventually, Raskys found himself up on the inner wall surrounding the palace, strolling along the battlements and nodding to the soldiers that were even now keeping watch over the city as the last remaining monsters were hunted down and the cleanup began. The battle inside the city had ended up causing a massive amount of damage to the buildings, and while some could easily be repaired, others would have to be knocked down entirely and rebuilt.

The soldier came upon Erik perched on the lip of the wall, cleaning and sharpening his sword. The Sheikah warrior had sustained a few minor injuries, like all the defenders had, but his clothes, like those of Zelda, were relatively untouched, his short brown hair was even still mostly combed, and the only readily discernible wounds Raskys could see were a few scrapes on the warrior's knuckles and a small cut on his chin.

"I had thought you would be sleeping," Erik said, looking up from his weapon.

Raskys shrugged and gestured back at the warrior. "The same could go for you, I guess. What brings you up here?"

Erik looked out at the city. "The quiet, mostly. I had to check in with my superiors and report all that had happened during the battle."

"Oh, yeah?" Raskys said, grinning suddenly. "Speaking of that, what's your final count?"

The Sheikah looked up at him, puzzlement in his red eyes. "My what?"

The soldier gestured to the warrior's sword. "Your count. How many enemies did you take out? Don't tell me you weren't keeping track."

Erik nodded slowly. "Fifty-one."

Raskys chuckled. "That's not bad for a pointy-eared sneak. I myself counted forty-nine, not including Darknuts."

Erik half-smiled. "That's not bad, for a smart-mouthed rogue. Why don't you count Darknuts?"

The soldier grinned conspiratorially. "Those count double, since they're so bloody hard to kill. With that in mind, my total comes to an impressive fifty-four."

Erik frowned. "That doesn't divide evenly."

Raskys shrugged. "I had some help on one." He waved offhandedly down at the city. "I'll tell you who didn't need help: Arnak and Midna. They must have taken out several hundred each, at least."

The Sheikah warrior nodded. "My commander was impressed with my account of Midna's attack just before the warship crashed, and that with only two Fused Shadows."

The soldier let out a low whistle. "That scared me, actually. I can't imagine being able to unleash that kind of power. I mean, how could you walk around and talk to normal people, knowing you could do that sort of thing and they can't?"

To Raskys' surprise, Erik's face took on a sort of far-away, almost grimly reminiscent expression. "What Midna has done and can do is nothing compared to what she could do with all of the Fused Shadows fully under her control. While not as powerful as the Triforce, the Fused Shadows' potential is virtually limitless. There was a reason they were taken from their makers and scattered through Hyrule."

Raskys sat on the edge of the fortifications and looked over at the other warrior. "Who were their makers? I don't really know much about the Twili, honestly, as I'd never heard of them before I met Midna."

In reply, Erik held up his arm, and indicated the insignia on his leather bracer. "The Sheikah sigil was originally just this eye, to symbolize our eternal watchfulness over the world. Almost no one outside our ranks knows of the reason for the tear under the eye, but I will tell you, as it is something the members of our Company should know. Zelda probably knows this already, and Majacen, too, I'm sure.

"Our role in the world has been virtually the same for thousands of years, the role of watchers, keeping an eye on the rulers of the world and making sure no one finds out about all the little secrets and magical devices only those of great power should wield. We ourselves have always worked magic to aid our efforts, specifically the element of Shadow. The Sage of Shadow, when there is one, is almost always a Sheikah, and we know a great deal about it and its potential for evil.

"Centuries ago, a group of our most powerful sorcerers decided that the Triforce wasn't safe in the hands of the Hylians, and that its power was too great to have just anyone bear the pieces. The sorcerers thought they themselves should bear the pieces, as they thought they would be the ideal guardians of such an immense power.

"None of us still know quite how, but somehow, this group of Shadow-wielding mages were corrupted, and their hearts turned to evil designs for the Triforce instead of good, to the point where the Golden Power became a sort of object of lust for them, something they had to possess, just to have it instead of guarding it, as was their original intention."

Erik gestured boldly as he spoke, unlike his usual reserved demeanor, and Raskys found himself captivated by the story. The warrior continued. "The sorcerers devised a number of powerful artifacts to aid them when they realized they were going to have to seize the Triforce by force, the greatest of these being the Fused Shadows. They whipped the common people into a frenzy with bold stories and half-truths, leading them in a terrible war that pitted friends and brothers against each other in a conflict of pure greed, the burning desire to possess the Triforce and harness the power of the gods themselves. It was not the first such war, nor would it be the last, but it was the worst in terms of cost of life and sheer brutality by the opposing sides as they fought.

"In the end, the dark interlopers were defeated, and their power was taken from them and scattered through Hyrule, under the protection of the Light Spirits and the races that made up the country. The sorcerers and all their unrepentant followers were banished by their defeaters to a long-forgotten plane, the Twilight Realm, and there resided, eventually becoming the Twili as they are today, a peaceful, serene people very in tune with their realm."

Erik pointed to the eye insignia on his bracer again, tracing his finger along the tear. "This was added so that we would never forget what we had done, and it was then that we took up the duty of protecting Hyrule's royal family, whom we had betrayed in the war."

"So…" Raskys said, trying to process all this, "that means you and Midna are related?"

Erik nodded. "Not closely, but yes. The Sheikah have kept a discreet eye on our distant cousins over the years, usually with only the Twili ruler's knowledge."

Raskys shook his head. "Huh. That's some story. I wish I had one as good to swap for it."

Erik slid his whetstone down the length of his blade, peering at the edge with one eye. He looked back up at Raskys. "I've sometimes wondered how you got to be in Hyrule, when you were in Viserys' army before. You were a pilot?"

The soldier nodded. "I was, and a good one, too. I could fly anything from a capital ship to a troop transport, but what I was really good with were these tiny little one-man airships, which had fixed wings and big engines, meant for high speed and maneuverability. They were originally meant as scouts and couriers, which is what I flew missions for, but I understand now they're used for close-range bombing runs.

"Anyway, I was flying a scouting mission, trying to find a new express route over Hyrule. Air currents are funny things, almost like rivers of wind, and if you can find a good one, it'll push you along twice as fast as you would have been able to go otherwise. Back when we mostly used the airships for shipping, speed was everything, and we generally got paid more if the delivery got there ahead of schedule.

"I was flying along, minding my own business and looking at the scenery, when _bam_," Raskys clapped his hands together for emphasis, "this huge thunderstorm comes out of nowhere. I mean literally nowhere; I watched it form from sunny blue sky in the space of about two seconds, and there was nothing I could do to avoid it before I was hit by lightning and I was spinning out of control. I managed to control my landing somewhat, but I still ended up plowing nose-first into a sand dune, and the next thing I remember is waking up to find a group of these funny-looking guys standing over me, jabbering away at each other in their language, probably trying to decide if I was dead or not."

Erik had been nodding periodically through the story, and Raskys continued, glad he was keeping the other warrior's interest. "The Zuna are a funny lot, very different from the Gerudo. They tend to cover up more, dressing in long, flowing robes and turbans. They're usually not all that trusting of outsiders, but I guess they felt sorry for me, since I was so banged up from the crash. They took me back to their camp and patched me up. I didn't mind, mostly because their healer was a _very_ beautiful woman," here he grinned appreciatively, "and she made the whole process much more tolerable. Also, she was one of the only ones who spoke Hylian, which I'd learned as a trade language when I joined the army, and she kept me entertained while my leg healed. She used to translate when the village storyteller would tell his tales, and I swear she was almost in the wrong job, the way she would put her own spin on it."

"She sounds like an interesting woman," Erik said, sheathing his sword.

Raskys smiled wistfully. "Oh, she was. Unfortunately, her brother had a rather low opinion of me, and after I had lived with them for about a year, he managed to convince me, rather forcefully, to leave and strike out on my own." The soldier pulled up his sleeve to show Erik a three-inch jagged scar on his forearm. "He gave me this as motivation not to come back."

"So, what did you do next?" the other warrior asked.

"Well," Raskys answered, "I sort of wandered around the continent for the next year and a half or so, and then I met up with Arnak and his band of warriors in the ruins of a city the Oocca had destroyed. They seemed like an interesting enough lot, so I stayed with them. And it was a few months after that we were all caught up in this crazy business." He made a circular motion with one hand.

Erik nodded. "Our group certainly has disparate origins. It is curious, how we were all pulled together."

Raskys smirked, arching an eyebrow. "Kind of makes you wonder what else is going to happen to us before this is all over, doesn't it? So much has happened already that I'm getting to the point where I'm not surprised by anything anymore." He gestured grandly. "Flying duels where people are on fire and shooting lightning bolts at each other? It doesn't get any stranger than that."

Erik's mouth quirked in a sort of half-smile again. "It just might."

Raskys chuckled. "Probably."

* * *

Link sat alone on a flat expanse of rooftop overlooking the city, his bare feet hanging over the edge as he gazed up at the stars, mostly hidden by clouds. He had climbed up here looking for a place where he could be alone with his thoughts for a while.

But, he had scarcely been up on the roof ten minutes when he heard footsteps behind him, and he turned to see Majacen wrapped in his thick cloak, looking down at him with a kindly expression.

He gestured at the young warrior, who was dressed only in the pajamas provided by the Emperor's servants. "Rather cold tonight, isn't it?"

Link shrugged. "I'm fine."

The wizard stepped to Link's side and stood next to him, looking out at the city. "Something weighs heavily on your mind, young one. Is it anything I can help you with?"

Link sighed. "I've been given a message from the Dark Lord controlling the invasion, and he demands my surrender and that of Arnak and Zelda."

Majacen nodded thoughtfully. "A surprising gesture, given his reticence to reveal his identity or even existence before. I assume he has provided some sort of leverage?"

"He claims he has my mother, and he'll kill her if I don't surrender," Link said, feeling his hands begin to clench.

The old wizard's face was unreadable as he slowly nodded again. "A masterful gambit, if it is true. You are giving serious thought to this, aren't you?"

"Is there a reason I shouldn't?" Link said defensively. "I have the right to consider it, don't I?"

Majacen's face shifted ever so slightly into a reproving look. "You have every right to consider surrender, but it is not an option for you. You and the other two Bearers are our main advantage in this war, and if you willingly surrender your power to the Dark Lord, you might as well give him the world on a platter. This is exactly what he wants. If he can force the three of you out of the war, there is no one else who can challenge him, and he is free to do as he pleases."

Link stood, glaring at the wizard. "So am I just supposed to let him kill my mother? You know I can't let that happen."

"As well you should not!" Majacen replied. "If you were to allow an innocent to die, you would be betraying everything you stand for. The very reason you were given your power is to defend those who cannot defend themselves against the kind of power Ganondorf and his heir wield."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Link demanded, almost shouting. "I can't let him kill my mother, but I can't stop fighting, either! This is almost exactly what Midna said earlier."

"And she was right. This is the very reason the Great Deku Tree assigned you companions, Hero. You cannot do everything yourself, and we have talents you do not possess." Majacen's lips curled in a slight smile under his thick beard.

The young warrior peered at the wizard curiously. "What do you suggest?"

Majacen half turned away, his deep, melodious voice adopting its storytelling tone. "Magic is, by its very nature, unnatural. It flouts the physical laws that hold the universe together, allows those who wield it to do things that cannot otherwise be done. Such things cause ripples in the fabric of the universe. The more unnatural the event, the larger the ripple. Do you understand?"

Link shook his head. "Not really. I've never really understood magic."

Majacen raised a finger. "That is because you think in terms of the physical. 'Real' to you is something you can see or touch or taste. You are not trained to look past these things, to look past the material to the immaterial. Your thinking is mostly logical, and magic is not logical, not to those who do not understand it. This is good, as this is where your great skill with weapons comes from. You defeated Ganondorf through sheer physical skill alone, and this is what makes you so dangerous. Magic is, essentially, cheating, a finding of the ways around the physical rules of the world. You were able to win without any sort of cheating."

Link crossed his arms. "What does this have to do with my mother?"

Majacen smiled. "Be patient. I am coming to that. Now, Raneses knows you do not have a great understanding of magic; in fact, he is counting on it with this demand. It must also be why he is demanding the surrender of the other two Bearers as well. Arnak has no great love of magic; in fact he instinctively distrusts it, and thus only sees it as a tool with which to destroy his enemies and nothing more. Of the three of you, only Zelda is learned enough in the ways of the arcane to find the flaw in the Dark Lord's plan. By choosing your mother as the hostage, he hopes to unbalance you, to keep you from thinking clearly and asking for the assistance of your allies when that is precisely what you need to do."

The wizard leaned forward slightly. "Raneses shares one critical flaw with his ancestor: overconfidence. He does not understand us as well as he thinks he does, and thus I do not think he has considered the possibility I will now share with you. Midna, Princess Zelda, and I are all greatly skilled in the ways of magic, and Midna and Zelda are both very knowledgeable in the field of Shadow, which appears to be the main source of the Dark Lord's power. Zelda is particularly sensitive to its currents.

"The Dark Lord undoubtedly uses the power of teleportation to move about the world, as I have sensed him moving very rapidly at times, and this moving without traveling the distance is very unnatural. It creates a very large ripple, to those who are aware of such things." Majacen gave Link a meaningful look.

The young warrior paused for a moment. "So, you're saying Zelda is able to sense these… ripples Raneses makes when he uses his powers?"

Majacen nodded. "Not consciously, but if she and Midna were to work together, with me to guide them, there is the chance the three of us could discover where Raneses transported your mother. He has to have a base of operations, and this is almost certainly where he is keeping his prisoner. If we could trace the currents Raneses leaves when he uses his power, we could find this base."

Link felt a surge of hope. "Well, what are we waiting for, then? Let's go!"

The wizard shook his head. "Patience. This would take some time to prepare, and even then, the outcome would be uncertain. Raneses may know of a way to cover his tracks, and this would foil our efforts entirely. We should still consider other alternatives." He smiled at Link and patted him on the shoulder. "But, those are concerns for a later time. I am positive I have not been the first to tell you this, but go and get some sleep, Link. You are not indestructible, as you may be under the impression, and the sort of exertions to which you are accustomed take their toll on the body." Majacen's dark green eyes twinkled mischievously. "Do I have to take drastic measures?"

Link chuckled. "No, I'll go." He smiled. "Thank you."

Majacen returned his smile. "It is why I decided to accompany you. Such a group of young people as you had been collecting needed a voice of reason and experience to guide them in times like these." His eyes twinkled again. "Especially one with nearly five centuries' worth, with the sort of problems you were likely to have."

The two of them shared a laugh as they went back inside. Link's smile slowly faded as he realized all that he would likely be doing tomorrow and the next few weeks.

Perhaps he ought to try to sleep, after all. He might not have another chance for a very long time.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm in the process of writing Chapter 35, which is three-quarters complete as of this writing. It should be up soon. Major thanks to all readers and reviewers, as always. I'm glad you enjoy the story.

(Revision Note: Fixed errors and improved descriptions.)


	35. A Time to Plan

Thirty-Five

An hour or so after breakfast the following day, Majacen called a gathering of the Hero's Company and other leaders in what he termed 'a crucial meeting' and everyone who was awake attended. The Hero was conspicuously absent, Zelda noted, but when everyone arrived at the meeting place, one of the dining halls of the Emperor's palace, Majacen explained that it was better that Link not be present for this meeting.

"Why?" asked Viserys, impeccable as always in his neatly pressed uniform. "As one of our primary assets, I would think the Hero to be a crucial part of any plans we make."

Majacen paced back and forth in front of the row of chairs that had been set up along one of the expansive windows along the wall of the hall, which featured an impressive view of the city beyond.

"First," he said, "Link is currently resting, recovering from his arduous battle with the Antihero. No one is to disturb this rest, as it is imperative that he be in his best shape for the challenges to come." The old wizard paused and glanced out at his audience. "Second, I must bring to the fore very personal issues for the Hero, ones he will not be able to be objective on, and a hard decision must be made regarding these. Midna has told me that she knows Link well enough that she will be able to provide what she thinks would be his opinion, when we have need of it." He gestured at the Twilight Princess, who nodded from her seat.

Zelda watched the proceedings from her seat next to Midna, in between her fellow ruler and Arnak. She casually extended her perceptions through the power of her Triforce, and sensed that the mood of those gathered was one of impatience, worry, and anxiousness to be moving on with the next stage of the war.

Majacen paused in the center of the window, framed by the view and the clear blue sky outside. His face was grave, and even more so was his tone.

"Some of you may know this already, from speaking with the Hero, but the creature delivered to him a message before he met his demise. In this message, the Antihero relayed that the Dark Lord directing the invasion has taken prisoner one of Link's family members, his mother, and threatens to kill her if Link and the other two Triforce Bearers do not surrender within two weeks."

A silence fell over the gathered warriors as they processed this, and no one spoke for a long time. Viserys was finally the one to speak.

He stood from his seat, his long, wide black cloak swirling with the movement. "This is a distasteful choice, but for the greater good, I must vote that we ignore this demand. The surrender of our three greatest assets is unacceptable, for any reason. I do not like it, but this is what we must do."

Arnak leaped to his feet, and his outrage would have been overwhelming to Zelda even without her Triforce. "How can you even think of condemning an innocent woman to death so casually?" he practically snarled, raising an accusatory finger at Viserys.

Viserys met the larger man's eyes resolutely. "Because many more innocents will be condemned if you and your fellow Triforce Bearers surrender. There is nothing casual about it. We cannot give up the war for the sake of one woman, no matter how dear she may be to Link. Millions more lives are at stake."

Majacen stepped forward, into the space between the two. "We do not have only two choices before us. There is a third option that, while dangerous, will allow us to preserve both the Dark Lord's captive and the war effort." He turned to Erik. "Your talents and those of your fellows will be needed. How many Sheikah could you summon on short notice?"

Erik folded his arms, his expression grim. "We are spread thin as it is, and all our agents are needed at their tasks. I could perhaps get five, ten if I am lucky. No more."

Majacen nodded once. "It will have to be enough. I propose a mission to rescue Link's mother. Its purpose will be twofold; besides the rescue, we will also be able to locate the Dark Lord's base of operations and scout out some of its defenses. Raneses is the driving force behind the entire invasion. It is solely his doing, and without him, it will collapse."

Though his face did not show it, Zelda sensed sudden curiosity from Viserys. "Where did you learn the Dark Lord's name? I had only suspected his existence before this meeting."

Midna answered. "Link and I stopped at a Gerudo camp before we came back to Calatia. Raneses is Gerudo, and legally their king, by his direct descent from Ganondorf, their previous king. Their former ruler told us what she knew of him."

Viserys nodded slowly, and Zelda felt his analytical mind turning this new information over and forming plans based on it. "You have a way to locate this base of operations?"

Majacen nodded in reply. "I do. Those who know magic know of its ripples and intricacies in the way it affects the world. Magic users can sense one another, and to a lesser extent, the effects of each other's powers. Raneses moves about by teleportation, and we will track him by means of the ripples this causes."

"Except we don't know where he is most of the time," Raskys pointed out. "How are we going to track him if we can't find his trail?"

Majacen turned to the soldier. "We do know one place he has teleported from, as recently as yesterday. He came into the Kokiri Forest to take his captive, and he presumably teleported out. If we make haste, Zelda, Midna, and I will be able to work together to find where he transported himself to after leaving the forest. It is my hope that this trail leads to his stronghold."

Viserys clasped his hands together behind his back. "I can ready my fleet to head immediately to that location, and we will assault it with everything we have. If this Raneses is truly the one behind the invasion, he must be defeated as quickly as possible."

Midna stood, a slow smile of understanding on her face. "Not so fast. From what we know of Raneses, he's a mastermind, a brilliant tactician capable of wide-reaching, complicated plans. That sort of person would have an impenetrable fortress with so many fortifications and traps that we would have no hope of taking it by force."

She slowly walked out into the open space along the window, her flowing robe gently billowing out with her movements. "To quote an example from my previous experience with a Dark Lord, if the Hyrule Army had made a frontal assault on Hyrule Castle when I took Ganondorf's shield down, they never would have made it inside. Ganondorf had filled the castle with traps and monsters, and even Link and I almost didn't make it to the throne room, where he was waiting.

"His plans were too complicated to go into now, but Link and I made it as far as we did because we were a small team. We were able to go in somewhat quietly, though in retrospect, I think Ganondorf intended for us to reach the throne room all along."

Midna paused to look back out at the gathered warriors. "Anyway, we can take a similar approach to the rescue, and go in as quietly as we can. The point of the mission would be to foil Raneses' plan to make Link surrender, but we can't take the fight to him just yet. He'll sense the three Triforce Bearers suddenly turning up on his doorstep, realize what we're doing, and promptly execute his hostage to demoralize Link."

She looked across the row of people gathered, making brief eye contact with all of them. "Now, I've spent a lot of time with Link, and I know him very well. Raneses chose his hostage very carefully; he picked the one person whom Link would be willing to surrender to spare. He's wondered all his life who his parents were, and now that he's being tempted with the chance to finally meet his mother, whom he's never known, he's seriously considering the Dark Lord's demand. Her death at this point would absolutely destroy Link, and one of two things would happen: either Link would be so crushed that he just wouldn't be able to go on, or he would fly into a berserk rage and get himself in a lot of trouble."

Midna gestured expansively with her hands. "This whole thing is a calculated attempt to keep Link off-balance, to keep him from thinking clearly. Link is one of the very few people capable of challenging Raneses, and the Dark Lord knows this. If he can keep Link distracted, he can press his advantage against the rest of us, who, let's face it, have only about half as much chance against Raneses without the Triforce on our side, and if he got that under his control, that chance would drop to absolutely zero."

Majacen nodded, an appreciative smile on his lined face. "Exactly my thoughts, Midna. Thus my plan: we send in the Sheikah, masters of stealth and combat, to rescue Link's mother, simultaneously plotting out the Dark Lord's defenses. Once this is done, we plan the next phase of our assault, ultimately how to deal with the Dark Lord himself."

Viserys nodded sharply. "Much work must be done very quickly. We should begin planning this in detail."

Erik stood. "I will contact the Sheikah. The sooner we start the rescue, the more unexpected it will be."

Majacen gestured out at the group. "Then let us get to work."

* * *

The Dark Lord Raneses sat cross-legged on the roof of his personal tower, the tallest in his fortress, staring out at the ocean as he meditated, concentrating mostly on the Triforce of Shadow.

His ancestor had not shown himself or made any attempt to talk to Raneses since their argument, and thus the Dark Lord had made no further progress in bringing his ancestor's creation under his control.

His hands lay open, resting on his knees, and above them floated what looked like two pieces of armor, deeply engraved with swirling geometrical patterns. They were Fused Shadows, two pieces of a larger whole that he had taken from the creature Nemo along with the Sword of Darkness, one of Ganondorf's other creations. He had left the other two for their original owner for one purpose only: Midna's magic had a very distinctive feel, and with the Fused Shadows, he could track their missing pieces and therefore their bearer. Raneses knew much about the Fused Shadows from his research before launching his conquest, and he knew that it was very difficult to use the ancient Twili artifacts in this way, but his other powers amplified his abilities to the point where it was a simple matter to tap into the Fused Shadows and find out exactly where Midna was.

This foreign princess posed a potential danger to his plans. She was entirely too close to Link, in a position to give him counsel he would be willing to listen to, but her death at this point would accomplish little other than to anger the Hero. Raneses was unsure just what sort of connection Link and Midna had, and if he eliminated her now, there was the distinct possibility that the Hero would become so angry in his grief that he would be able to defeat the Dark Lord through the sheer force of his rage.

Anger was a powerful emotion, and could either give someone more than the usual strength or cripple them with its effects. Manipulating others required a careful study of their emotions, and so Raneses was slowly developing an understanding of how his opponent thought.

"Perhaps I should have taken this level of care in my own preparations," said a voice behind him.

Raneses pulled the Fused Shadows back into himself and turned his head to see Ganondorf standing behind him, a slight transparency to his form, as usual. The first Dark Lord strode forward until he stood next to his descendant, and for some reason, allowed the illusion that the wind was moving his immaterial cloak.

"I had thought that I could simply overwhelm the Hero in our duel, to seize his piece of the Triforce, and I very nearly did, but I underestimated his resolve. He refused to give up, even after I had nearly killed him." Ganondorf crossed his arms over his armored chest and looked out at the ocean. "This plan of yours to unbalance him by manipulating his emotions is not something I had considered."

Deep within the most guarded part of his mind, Raneses considered a snide reply about how that was why Ganondorf had been defeated, but instead nodded respectfully. "It seems I have concentrated more on the disciplines of the mind, where you focused on skill with weapons. Both approaches can be effective, when used in the right manner."

Ganondorf turned to face him. "Are you ready to unlock the next part of the Triforce of Shadow?"

Raneses nodded. "Before we begin, I want to… apologize for what I said earlier," he said, not meaning a word of it. "I should not have been so disrespectful, and I will restrain my tongue in the future."

The first Dark Lord looked down at him for a moment, his arms still crossed over his chest and his expression unreadable. He was silent for several seconds, but he finally nodded curtly. "You will have to show more respect for your culture in the future, but your comments were understandable. At the earliest opportunity, you will ensure the survival of your race, and if you do not do this, I will not allow any further progress in your control of my creation."

_Fool_, Raneses thought, inclining his head respectfully, _what makes you think I cannot simply wrench control of the thing away from you? Your usefulness to me is swiftly approaching its end._

Ganondorf gestured back at the door inside with one armored hand. "This will require a deep level on concentration on your part, and you can have no distractions during the process. The slightest error could cost you any further use of my creation."

Raneses looked over at his ancestor curiously as he got to his feet. "It is really that delicate?"

"It is. I put all the power I could into the Triforce of Shadow, and it requires very precise control to keep this power from overwhelming the bearer." Ganondorf smiled unpleasantly. "If you do not complete the process correctly, there is the possibility that you will be incinerated from the inside out."

The younger Dark Lord did not show his surprise outwardly. "I will seal the chamber, then."

Raneses strode toward the door, and did not catch the darkly amused look Ganondorf gave him before following.

* * *

To his mild disappointment, Erik was able to get only three Sheikah to aid him on his mission. All others were busy with various pressing tasks, including preparing infiltration of the Oocca shipyards to aid the assault, and only these three had duties minor enough to delay for the mission. These gathered in his room of the palace, and he outlined the mission and its importance to them.

Two of the three agents were among the most experienced in their order, and Erik was glad they had come, as these two made up for any lack of numbers.

Viktor and Freia were partners, and had been working together for more than twenty years, developing so close a working relationship that they barely needed to speak to each other. Besides that, they were siblings, and both shared the rare silver hair only those directly descended from the legendary Impa had. Erik's mother had it, but he had gotten his brown hair from his father.

The third agent had been in the palace already, and was just about to return to her other duties when Erik put out his call for agents. She introduced herself as Val, saying her name was too long and complicated to go further. Erik couldn't recall ever meeting her before, and she wore her auburn hair in a long braid, somewhat unusual for Sheikah, but Viktor seemed to know her, and Erik was glad of any help he could get.

"So, how are we to go about finding this fortress?" Viktor asked. He was in his early forties, and his face was largely unlined, but still showed experience and gave the impression he had been in many battles, the most obvious sign being a scar over his left eye.

Erik explained how Midna and Princess Zelda were going to track Raneses and locate his fortress, and the other three agents nodded their understanding.

"Who's the hostage?" Val asked, absently twirling an intricately carved dagger between her fingers as she leaned back in her chair.

"She is claimed to be the Hero's mother," Erik replied.

Viktor and Freia shared a look Erik was unable to interpret.

"I had thought she had been killed with Link's father in the forest," Freia said. "I had no idea she was still alive."

"She might not be," Viktor replied. "I never saw her again after they left their ranch, so it might be a hoax. But," he shrugged, "it is a possibility."

"The Dark Lord abducted someone from the forest," Erik said. "We know that much for certain. Our primary objective, as far as I am concerned, is to scout out the Dark Lord's defenses, so we can know what to expect when we assault his fortress in force. If you two will concentrate on the hostage," he gestured at the silver-haired agents, "Val and I can perform a brief reconnaissance. We must be as cautious as we can, so as not to alert the Dark Lord to our presence."

Val tossed her dagger back and forth between her hands. "That's going to be somewhat difficult. He'll undoubtedly have some kind of alarm in the dungeon, or at least a few guards, and we have no idea what kind of traps he'll have set up in the rest of the place. I hate going into missions with so little information."

"We have no other choice," said Freia. "If the Triforce Bearers are to confront the Dark Lord, they will need to know as much about him and his fortress as they can. It is our duty to gather that information for them."

Val idly balanced her dagger on the tip of her finger. "I think I know where this fortress is already, though I'm not sure." She flicked her finger and flipped the dagger to balance on the same finger on her other hand. "There's a castle a few hundred miles north of the Gerudo Desert, near the ocean, that I found by accident while I was looking for something else. I've never been inside, but there's some powerful Shadow magic coming out of that place, and I think our Dark Lord lives there, or at least some other extremely powerful sorcerer."

Erik turned to her. "What do you know about this castle?"

Val twirled the dagger through her fingers one more time before slipping it into a wrist sheath. "It's big, and it's right on the edge of a cliff, with a nearly impassable path on the other side, crisscrossed with walls and towers. I have no idea how whoever built it did it, since it's so remote and the path is so rough that you couldn't get the stone blocks and building equipment up there. It would be impossible to take it with a ground army, though an air assault has somewhat of a chance."

A knock at the door interrupted the reply Erik had been about to make, and he crossed the room to answer it. Midna stood there, her hand resting on the pommel of the Twilight Blade at her side.

"We're ready to go," she said, looking over his shoulder at the other agents. "Friends of yours?" At his nod, she chuckled shortly. "They sure showed up fast."

"Who is going?" Erik asked.

"Everybody except Arnak and Raskys. They're staying here to help Viserys organize the fleet for the attack on the shipyards. He still wants to do that as soon as he can, and we'll be coming back to help once your mission is over. I'm coming with you, by the way."

"No, you aren't," Viktor said behind Erik.

Midna glared at him. "Why not? I'm just as good at hiding in shadows as you people are. You don't think I can keep up with you?"

Freia answered. "That has nothing to do with it. The Dark Lord will be able to sense your magic. You're powerful enough that you would have a hard time hiding from him."

The Twilight Princess paused for a moment, frowning thoughtfully. "I hadn't thought of that." She smirked. "One of the drawbacks of power, huh?"

"I suppose." Erik looked past her into the hallway. "Where are the others?"

Midna took a step back and waved for him to follow her. "I'll take you to them. Come on."

* * *

When Link awoke, he found Zelda sitting in the chair by his bed, reading a book. As he stirred, she looked up at him and set the book down.

"We are almost ready to leave. I will give you a few minutes to get ready."

"Where are we going?" Link asked, sitting up.

"Back to Hyrule," Zelda answered. "Majacen told us of his plan, and we are going to carry it out as soon as we can."

Link was surprised. "You would do that?" In his mind, a rescue of his mother served no purpose other than the obvious personal reasons for him. His mother was not strategically important; she was just another innocent in need of protecting from the Dark Lord's machinations.

Hyrule's Princess straightened, projecting her royal bearing even through her simple clothes and unbraided hair. "Of course. It is small repayment for all you have done for me and my country. It will also be a chance to test the Dark Lord's defenses, in preparation for our confrontation with him." She leaned forward and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "The end is fast approaching, Chosen Hero. It will soon be time for you to fulfill your duty once more." Zelda smiled sadly. "I pray that it will be the last time. You have given so much already."

Link swung his legs out of bed and onto the floor, standing slowly. "I'm not finished yet. I'll be finished when I'm dead." He looked over at Zelda. "I'll be right out."

She nodded. "Very well." With that, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Link regarded the neatly folded and organized items that lay on the low table at the foot of his bed, the weapons and clothing that made up his equipment, already thinking about what was coming.

It was time for the Hero to go into battle once more.

* * *

After bidding the Emperor farewell, and promising to return someday for the feast he wanted to throw for them, those that were going to Hyrule transported to the portal near the Forest Temple, heading through it to the Kokiri Forest.

Link led the way, and Erik watched him as they walked through the forest to the foliage barrier. He was quiet, which was not unusual, but most of the time his mouth was set in an uncharacteristic frown, as if he were thinking hard about something.

When they reached the intertwined line of trees, their branches and roots grown so closely together they formed a natural wall, a fairy zipped out and opened it for them, and they headed inside.

Erik and his fellow Sheikah followed the others as they walked slowly through the village, Zelda's eyes half-closed in concentration as she looked for something.

Eventually, she stopped, and she and Midna sat down next to each other, Majacen sitting in front of them and facing the two princesses. He looked up at the rest of their group.

"This will likely take some time, so I suggest you get some rest if you can," the wizard said. "Your team will be leaving as soon as we find your destination."

Erik nodded, and he and the others moved off through the village. Once they found a space open enough, Viktor and Freia promptly began a sparring match, jumping and twisting through the air and crossing their blades repeatedly. Several civilians gathered around to watch the two masters at work, but Erik decided to take Majacen's advice and find a place to rest.

He was almost to the Hero of Time's house when he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Link approaching, still frowning, and the warrior noticed the Hero's fists clenched periodically.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Erik asked.

Link nodded slowly. "Do you know if there is any way I can hide my Triforce?"

"What do you mean?" the Sheikah said.

Link paused, as if searching for the right words. "Is there something I can do so I can't be sensed by a magic user?"

"You mean to go with us," Erik said, meeting the younger warrior's eyes.

"Of course," Link replied immediately, as if it was obvious.

Erik paused in thought for a moment. "I do not know if there is any way to hide your Triforce. The Dark Lord will sense it immediately, so I do not know if-"

"I'm going," Link interrupted, a note of finality in his voice and a steely resolve in his eyes. There would be no arguing with him.

The warrior sighed. "Short of removing it entirely, I am not sure of how we can hide the Triforce of Courage's energies. This would be very difficult."

"We could block it off," said a new voice from above them.

The two warriors looked up to see Val perched on a ledge over their heads, her long braid tossed over her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Link asked.

The Sheikah agent dropped to the ground, one hand on her sword as she stood. "I mean, if we block the Triforce of Courage off temporarily, to keep you from drawing on its energies, it'll go dormant and the Dark Lord won't be able to sense it. You'll be just a normal person, so you'll have to be careful." She looked Link in the eye. "Raneses will kill you in an instant if you fight him like that."

The Hero nodded. "I understand. What do I have to do?"

Val started to move off. "Follow me."

* * *

Shad strolled down the hallway toward the Oocca's cell, which, at his insistence, had been provided with a few amenities, as the prisoner had proven himself to be no threat.

As he neared the cell, a soldier came up to him and handed him a sheet of paper. The scholar scanned it for a moment before thanking the soldier and entering the cell.

As he sat down at the table, across from the sky being, Shad held up the paper. "I've been asked to question you about the shipyards. You mentioned you were stationed there once. Is there anything you know that can be of use to the fleet?"

The Oocca paused, and was deep in thought for several seconds. "The fortresses under construction will be under the heaviest guard. But, they will also be the most vulnerable. You see, during construction, several tons of explosives are placed at critical points in each fortress, so that they can be destroyed if the vessel is in any danger of being boarded or captured. It was always viewed as imperative that the humans not get their hands on our technology."

Shad leaned back in his chair, and though he did not yet know it, this would save his life. "Can you describe to me any weak points in the fortresses that can be exploited by our agents? Is there anywhere these explosives can easily be set off?"

The Oocca leaned forward to answer, but no sound left its throat. Its eyes widened in surprise, and then it slumped forward, blood staining the feathers on its back.

Shad leaped to his feet and scrambled backwards at what he saw standing behind the Oocca. A man-shaped creature that appeared to be made up of smoke with glowing yellow eyes stood there, a long knife in its hand. Its tip was red.

"Help!" he shouted, scrambling for the door.

The smoke-creature moved in front of him, brandishing the knife. It made no sound, but as it surged forward, slashing with its knife, Shad felt an intense headache form at the base of his skull.

With a crash, the door slammed open and a Balacruf soldier ran into the room, his sword drawn. The smoke-creature turned toward him and closed its eyes as the soldier charged. The soldier passed right through the creature, and as he spun to look behind him, it plunged its knife into his back.

Shad scrambled out of the door, tripping on the soldier's body as he did so, and scurried on his hands and knees out into the hall. The creature followed, and Shad shouted for help again, rolling as the smoke-creature stabbed down with its knife.

Several soldiers rushed over and slashed at the creature with their swords, but the strikes passed right through, until one soldier slashed at the hand holding the knife.

The creature howled in pain and dropped the knife, turning and jumping into one man's shadow.

"What was that?" asked one of the soldiers.

"I… I have no idea," Shad said, getting to his feet. In the back of his mind, he felt like screaming in horror, but he forced himself to keep his composure; they were under attack, and every moment counted now.

A klaxon blared out as he said it, cutting off his last few words. A squad of soldiers appeared out of one of the doors in the long hallway and ran past Shad and the other soldiers, their rhythmic footsteps pounding in unison. They fell in, and Shad jogged to catch up with the leader.

"What's this alarm for?" the scholar asked.

The commander kept his eyes straight ahead as they ran. "Something's happening out on the perimeter of the city. We're going to investigate and assist if we can."

Shad followed the soldiers out of the building and into the open air, where he saw thick black smoke ascending from the captured Oocca fortress sitting just outside the outer perimeter of Nimbus City.

The scholar had just stopped to shade his eyes with his hand when the fortress exploded violently, spitting debris with incredible force. The shockwave knocked Shad backwards, his head hit the wall of the building, and he fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

A dozen miles away, in Belakar City, Viserys heard the explosion and raced for a window to see what was happening. He saw smoke rising from the direction of the Nimbus City base and sprang into action, pulling out his Communication Stone.

"What's going on over there?" he demanded of the officer on the other end.

The reply took several seconds, during which time Viserys kept his eyes fixed on the column of smoke. "Sir, the captured fortress self-destructed! We're sending teams over now to put the fires out. Preliminary reports indicate heavy damage to the east section of the city, no casualty count yet."

Viserys was already sprinting for where _Peregrine_ sat in the inner courtyard of the palace as he acknowledged and cut the connection. Spying Arnak and Raskys moving for the gate, he gestured at them to board the small airship, and was already seated at the controls when he heard the hatch close.

Raskys dropped into the other forward seat as _Peregrine_ lifted free of the ground. "What happened?"

Viserys pointed his ship at the column of smoke and accelerated. "The fortress we captured has been destroyed, likely by sabotage. I am going to find out why."

He heard Arnak's deep voice from behind as he flew low over the treetops, dodging the taller ones. "Is it the start of an attack? Our enemy could be revenging himself for his failure to capture Belakar City. It could be a distraction while another army assaults the capital."

Raskys shook his head. "The day after the defeat? It's not likely another army could have arrived so soon. The fortress could have been sabotaged to prevent our scientists from studying it, maybe."

Viserys looked down at the destruction as _Peregrine_ swooped closer. The flying fortress was nothing more than flaming rubble, and it had taken a good portion of the city with it. Some of the barges had been totally obliterated, and many more were on fire. Hundreds of personnel on the ground scrambled through the damaged areas, searching for survivors and attempting to put out the fires.

Spying a clear space, Viserys angled his airship in for landing. Once _Peregrine_ was on the ground, the three of them jumped out to see what could be done.

* * *

"How does it feel?"

Link flexed his fingers experimentally. He didn't really feel any different, but the familiar tingle of his Triforce, one he had gotten so used to that he only now noticed it by its absence, was definitely gone.

Val handed him back his gauntlet. "You can overcome the dampening I placed around it by concentrating. It's only a light effect, just enough to keep you from giving us away. Don't get rid of it unless you absolutely have to, by which I mean the Dark Lord himself kicking in the door. The longer we can go without being noticed, the better our chances of success."

Link nodded as he secured his gauntlet in place. "Thank you."

He turned to see Viktor approaching. "Freia says they're almost finished. Let's go over the plan one more time." He pointed at Link. "What do you do when we get there?"

"Follow you and Freia, and help you find the cell my mother is in. I also take out any guards I find, and don't let anybody raise the alarm," the Hero recited.

Viktor nodded. "Good." He turned to Val and Erik. "And you?"

Erik answered. "The two of us keep a watch for the Dark Lord, and perform as much reconnaissance as we can without being detected. Concentrate on finding ways for a full team to infiltrate the fortress later."

The veteran agent nodded again. "Exactly. Are there any questions?"

There were not. He continued. "All that's left is finding out our destination. Stay ready until we get the word, because as soon as we do, we're leaving. The goal is to get in and out in under ten minutes, and with any luck, the Dark Lord won't know we were there until he comes to check on his prisoner."

The four of them exchanged uneasy glances. It was unlikely to go so well, but if they were quiet, it was possible.

Freia appeared next to them. "It's time. Come on."

They followed her to the place where Midna, Zelda and Majacen sat, the three getting to their feet as Link and the Sheikah approached.

Zelda turned to them. "Raneses' trail leads to a spot near the ocean several hundred miles north of the Gerudo desert. He teleported directly inside a fortress there, towards the bottom of the structure. I do not know what you will find, so use the utmost caution."

Next to Link, Val nudged Erik with her elbow. "Hey, I was right."

The other warrior nodded silently.

Midna placed her hand on Link's shoulder and clasped his hand with her other, then pulled him into a tight hug. "Good luck," she whispered. She pulled back, a teasing smile on her face. "Now, I won't be there to look out for you, so try not to get in the Sheikah's way, all right?"

Link adopted a mock-annoyed expression. "I'm sure I'll be able to handle it."

Majacen stepped forward, his hands clasped behind his back. "May the Goddesses smile on your efforts."

"Thank you," Link said.

Viktor waved the group closer as Freia closed her eyes in concentration. Finally, she opened her eyes. "Ready?" she asked.

Each of them nodded, and the world around them faded into nothingness. When it returned, they were surrounded by a long, dark hallway lined with metal bars partitioned off by stone walls.

Instantly, Val dropped low and hurled a dagger into the chest of a large, pig-like creature holding a spear that stood a few feet away, which let out one surprised grunt before toppling over and vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

She straightened, turning to the others. "The easy part's over. Let's go."

* * *

Author's Note: Finally, after taking so long most of you probably thought I wasn't going to do it, I've posted a picture of the Twilight Blade, Midna's sword, on my DeviantArt account. To see it, open my profile, click on the 'Homepage' link, and it'll be in my gallery there at the top. Just ignore the demented ravings in my journal. ;) Anyway, upon pulling an all-nighter after a sudden bout of inspiration, I now have the next chapter entirely written but not edited, so it should be up soon. We're getting close to the end, now, and it's getting very exciting for me. Till next time!

(Revision Note: The usual fixins' and improvements.)


	36. A Time to Choose

Thirty-Six

As Erik and Val moved off in one direction of the long hallway, Link followed Viktor and Freia in the opposite direction. They saw no further guards, and the Hero gradually got a better sense of his surroundings.

The hallway was dark, with no windows, its only feature endless lines of cells on either side. None were occupied by more than rats and bones, and the air had an oppressively heavy quality, as if the building itself was trying to tell them they didn't belong here. Only a few flickering torches provided illumination.

Ahead of him, Viktor and Freia moved quickly, partially crouched. Their feet made no sound, and Link's stealthy footsteps seemed deafening in comparison.

Link's thoughts raced in nervous anticipation. He was close now, so close to seeing his mother for the first time in more than fifteen years, so long a time that he did not quite remember her face.

What would he say to her? What would _she_ say to _him_?

It was almost too much to bear, and it seemed as if with each step the end of the hallway drew further away instead of closer.

Viktor suddenly halted, holding up a clenched fist. He glanced back at Link and opened his hand, palm facing the young warrior. Next, he pointed at a spot on the floor, waving his sister over. She crouched in front of it, frowning thoughtfully.

Link reached out and tapped Viktor's shoulder. _What's going on?_ he mouthed silently.

_Magic sensor,_ Viktor mouthed back. _It sets off a silent alarm somewhere._

Freia spent several seconds considering the black spot on the floor, seeming to stretch on into eternity to Link, before she finally opened her hand and very slowly moved her fingers in a series of gestures. After pausing for several more seconds, she waved them forward and slowly stepped over the otherwise featureless section of hallway.

Several paces later, Viktor stopped again and held his arm out in front of Link, who saw the trap shortly thereafter. His extensive explorations of ancient ruins had given the Hero a thorough knowledge of booby traps and how they were constructed, and he saw what kind of trap this was almost immediately.

One row of stones across the hallway were slightly raised, and this would not seem out of the ordinary but for the small, circular holes in the walls on either side of the raised row. An inattentive step on one of the stones of the row would trigger a pressure sensor, which would launch some kind of projectile at the unfortunate fleeing captive.

Link made to step over the row, but Freia shook her head, pulling him back with one hand on his shoulder. She traced her finger in two diagonal lines over the row, and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "More magic sensors. Let me find the gap."

She stood in front of the trap with her eyes half-closed in concentration, occasionally turning her head slightly, and finally she walked to the far left edge of the hallway and took a wide step over the raised row of stones, ducking suddenly at the end of her step and taking a few steps into the center of the hall before standing again.

Viktor duplicated her movements exactly, pausing to wedge a throwing knife in a crack in the stones of the wall at the point where he ducked. He waved Link over, and the Hero picked his way to the waiting Sheikah agents, glancing back at the seemingly featureless stretch of hallway behind him.

_It's a good thing we're teleporting out of here,_ Link thought to himself.

Freia gestured a few times at her brother, pointing off down the hallway. He nodded, leaning back against the wall as she moved off, checking for more traps.

"What do these magic sensors do?" Link whispered to the agent.

Viktor gestured back at the trap they had just bypassed and whispered back. "Nothing other than setting off some sort of indicator somewhere else in the fortress. The guards set them off on their rounds, which are probably set in schedules. If a sensor is triggered when no guard should be present, they know someone is moving around who shouldn't be, and come down to investigate." He gestured quickly, and his throwing knife pulled itself out of the wall and flew into his hand. "The guards would know where all the traps are, but," he gestured at a dark stain on the floor next to one of the rows of holes in the wall, "they would appear to be effective security on their own. There is no escaping from this place without help."

Link nodded silently, a sinking feeling in his stomach. If he had tried this on his own, even with all his experience in dungeon-crawling, he would have set off the sensors and been forced to fight his way out of here. It was a sobering thought.

Ahead, Freia suddenly halted before one of the cells, the contents of which Link could not see. She gestured silently to her brother, and he came forward and crouched at the door, withdrawing a small, thin object from a pouch on his belt.

Link moved to stand behind the two Sheikah, not willing to wait until the door was open. But he saw nothing, and he strained to see further into the cell until Viktor swung the door open, clenching his hands around the bars when one of the hinges squeaked almost imperceptibly.

The young warrior took a slow step inside, and immediately, he saw her, sitting with her back to him on the narrow cot. At his approaching footsteps, she turned and stood, looking up at him in shock; he paused as well. He was taller than her, he realized distantly. They stood like that for several moments before she stepped forward, disbelieving joy mixed with sadness on her face.

Tears formed in the woman's eyes, and she reached up a hand to touch his cheek. "You… you look so much like him. So much."

Link opened his mouth, but no words came out. He looked down at her, feeling tears of his own well up as her face triggered a flood of memories.

_A smiling face, gentle and caring, hovers over him, joined by another face with eyes full of pride._

_Cold, in a gigantic room with staircases on both sides. "There you are," a loving voice says, and arms encircle him, lifting him into the air. The arms are warm, and he feels safe in them. The gentle face smiles at him, touching her nose to his._

_Tears, streaming down the gentle face, pleading in indistinct words as a large, threatening presence towers over them both._

_Steam, rising from a bowl of hot soup. The gentle face is there, smiling as she always does when she looks at him, and she raises the spoon to his lips. "Look how big you're getting, Link," the loving voice says. "You're going to be big and strong when you grow up, aren't you?"_

_Snow, an endless expanse of it, and comforting warmth surrounding him, letting none of the cold through. A man, bound in a heavy coat and scarf, approaches, and the loving voice calls out to him. The man removes his scarf and bounds forward, sweeping him up off the ground, and looks into his eyes with deep pools of blue, so full of pride and love._

_Ice, shifting in a frozen river as the man with proud blue eyes rows a boat, his face sad. The gentle face is also sad, and she looks down at him. Arms encircle him, and he feels a cheek against his hair as she pulls him close, kissing the top of his head. He does not understand why they are so sad._

_Water, sparkling in a forest spring. He feels happy, and plays with a horse, small like him. He hears raised voices, and then sees a face -gentle- but not one he knows. Warm green eyes beckon to him, and he follows the pretty lady in the long green dress. Maybe she is taking him to the gentle face and the man with proud eyes. He does not see them behind._

Link pulled his mother in close, afraid she would disappear again. She squeezed him twice as hard, and mother and son shared their embrace for several more moments, both reluctant to let go.

The moment was ruined by a darkly sarcastic voice just behind them, one eerily familiar to the Hero. "How touching. I do hate to interrupt, but you and I have to talk."

* * *

Arnak looked out at the wreckage, and felt his anger rise once more, screaming forth from the pit in which he tried to contain it. People had died by the dozens in an instant of flame and ruin, and he had not been here to stop it.

He had _failed._ Just like he had failed those in his village. Just like he had failed those who had died in the siege of the city he had just left. His purpose was to stop people from dying at the hands of these conquerors, and that seemed to be something he was incapable of doing.

Arnak's senses prickled, and, leaving his companions, he stormed into a partially destroyed building and grabbed something immaterial in the rough, unforgiving vise of his hands.

The thing tried to twist away, to shift and spread apart and wriggle out of his grip, but he clenched his hands and forced it to solidify, until a man-shaped cloud of smoke writhed and screeched in front of him.

"What are you?" he snarled between clenched teeth, increasing the strength of his grip.

The creature replied only with a pained whimper, feebly trying to get away. Acting almost on instinct, Arnak raised his right hand in front of its glowing yellow eyes, manifesting his Triforce with a blinding golden light.

It shrieked and tried to squirm away, but he held it fast. It grew more solid under his grip with each passing second, until Arnak held a being tinted a dark shade of black by the throat, holding his glowing hand next to its head.

"I… I serve… the Master. I can do… only his will," the creature panted, its voice high and thin, as if coming from a great distance away.

Arnak again tightened his grip, lifting the creature free of the ground, but suddenly felt a hand on his arm. He turned to see Raskys, his friend's eyes hard.

"Hey!" he said. "Cool it! What's wrong with you?"

And just like that, something seemed to snap in Arnak's mind, and he dropped the creature, backing away. He could not believe what he had been doing. This was not at all like him. He was never this angry, not since the day his life had been torn away.

Viserys stepped into the room, his sword drawn. He pointed it at the creature, which seemed to be entirely solid now, and he stepped closer, resting the point on its collarbone.

"What are you, and why did you do this?" he demanded coldly.

"I serve the Master," the thing replied in its unnaturally thin voice. "He knows what to do, and I do it."

Arnak looked closer at it. The creature might once have been human, but was only relatable to that term in shape now. He stepped closer to it, ignoring the look of fear in its yellow eyes.

"What can you tell us of your master?" he inquired, trying to keep his tone non-threatening.

The smoke-creature only shrieked in its eerie voice and shrank away. Arnak raised his hands, backing a few steps away, and then noticed that his Triforce was still glowing. Curious, he extended his right hand, and it pulled back again. He lowered it, and the creature relaxed slightly.

"I think it is sensitive to light," he said.

Viserys left his sword where it was. "Why did you do this?" he demanded again.

"The Master commanded me. I can do only his will."

Raskys cocked a wry eyebrow. "Well, at least it hasn't been brainwashed." His smile and sarcastic tone faded. "I don't think we're going to get much out of it."

As Arnak relaxed, the glow from his Triforce faded, until it finally vanished entirely, the marking darkening to its usual black color.

Just as it did, the smoke-creature faded and became more immaterial, passing right through Viserys' sword as it leaped away from him and jumped into the shadow of a pile of rubble. All three of them tried to grab it, but it moved too fast and was gone.

Viserys sheathed his sword. "This presents a new set of problems. If the enemy has servants that are capable of such things, it will make security much more difficult. We do not possess the capability to provide enough illumination to eliminate shadows, so they may strike at any time."

Arnak frowned. "All the more reason to eliminate their master as quickly as possible."

Raskys, who had wandered off, suddenly turned and shouted, "Hey! Over here!"

Leaving Viserys to continue surveying the scene, the big man made his way over to where his friend waited, standing next to a body slumped against one of the barges, a thin trail of blood running from a small cut on his forehead. Arnak recognized Shad and moved closer, checking him over.

He was unhurt except for the cut on his forehead, and Shad woozily blinked back into consciousness as Arnak crouched beside him and shook him awake.

"Are you all right?" the big man asked, handing Shad his glasses.

The scholar nodded as he put his glasses back on. A look of horror came over his face, and he glanced about in panic for a moment before he willfully focused on Arnak's weapon to distract himself. "Is that a Biggoron sword you have there? I've never seen one outside of a book."

"What's a Biggoron?" asked Raskys, checking a body. The man stirred, and the soldier moved on to the next one, waving over a medic.

Shad slowly got to his feet, wincing at an apparent headache. "Biggoron was the finest metalworker of the Goron tribe, and he made swords of the highest quality. They were highly sought after, but usually only a Goron or someone of similar size could use them. The Hero of Time is reputed to have been one of the few Hylians who acquired one."

Raskys smirked. "I take it from his name this Goron was rather large?"

"Well, yes. He was said to have been so big it was impossible to see all of him at once, though I rather think this was an exaggeration," Shad replied. "He might even still be alive. I must confess I do not know how long Gorons live."

Arnak rested a hand on the hilt of the sword at his side, looking down at the scholar. "You were not injured?" he asked, somewhat impatiently.

"No, I am fine," Shad replied. "I was attacked by some sort of creature, but it did not injure me. It seemed to be made of smoke." He hung his head sadly. "It killed the Oocca I was talking to, though."

Raskys nodded. "We ran into something like that, though it probably wasn't the same one. They sound like those things Majacen told us about on the boat here."

"I believe it is the same type of creature that had been spying on us and searched our baggage," Arnak said. "It is sensitive to light. We know that much. Do you know of any way to defend against it?"

Shad shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know much about magic, actually. I was never very interested in it."

Arnak gestured behind him at the damaged buildings of Nimbus City. "Come, then. We will go see what we can do to help."

* * *

Erik kept close to the wall, his eyes moving constantly in search of threats. On the opposite wall, Val did the same, and they passed through several cell blocks like this, quietly avoiding or incapacitating any guards they encountered.

The Sheikah warrior stretched out with his other senses as well, trying to determine if any magical traps were located nearby. He did not extend this aspect of his search too far, however, for fear of attracting the Dark Lord's attention. It was a miracle they hadn't been discovered and attacked already.

Suddenly, his Communication Stone buzzed in a pattern he recognized. It was a summons, one that indicated the one contacting him could not talk, but wanted him to come to them as quickly as possible. It was generally used when agents were trapped and needed assistance from their teammates.

Erik looked over at Val, and her expression told him her stone had done the same. She gestured silently back down the hall, and they set off, only to suddenly run into an invisible barrier.

Val drew her sword and prodded ahead with it, but it stopped just in front of her, as if she were trying to drive it into a stone wall.

The two warriors looked at each other with a sense of alarm. Neither of them had sensed that they had triggered any sort of trap, and could find no reason for this barrier. At her questioning look, Erik shook his head. He didn't even sense anything there, yet they could not proceed.

What was going on?

* * *

In the Kokiri Forest, Midna followed Link as best she could with her senses, focusing on the energy of the marking she had given him. It was not very strong, barely enough for her to sense that he was in a long, open space with three people nearby, one very close.

From their proximity, she was guessing that the person standing closest to him was his mother, and that they had found her. That was a relief. Now all they had to do was get out of there.

Suddenly, a dark, malevolent presence manifested itself barely a few paces behind Link, and Midna's eyes snapped open. It was not the presence she had been dreading, but it was familiar nonetheless. This was almost the worst thing that could have happened.

She glanced over to see Zelda looking back at her. The other princess had sensed it, too.

Link was in trouble, and there was nothing they could do to help him.

* * *

Very slowly, Link turned to look at the person standing behind him, his left arm tense and ready to snap up and draw his sword.

The shape of the newcomer was that of a huge, muscular man, at least seven-and-a-half feet tall, encased in dark plate armor with gilded edges. His gaze was fiery, and it took the Hero a few moments to realize that he was slightly transparent. He looked identical to the last time Link had seen him, down to the glowing white wound in his chest.

The Dark Lord Ganondorf, former Bearer of Power and two-time conqueror of Hyrule, stood there with a patient expression, his lips twisted in a mocking sneer.

"Do not draw your weapon, boy." He made no effort to hide his hate or disdain. "You cannot hurt me in this form, even with that… _thing_ you wield." He spread his hands in an almost placating gesture. "Just as I cannot harm you."

Link raised his hand to the hilt of the Master Sword anyway. "Where is the other Dark Lord? Coming from the other direction while you try to distract me?"

Ganondorf fixed him with a pitying look, sneering again. "I would not stoop to such a tactic, boy. If I was going to attack you, I would have simply stabbed you in the back, were I able to do so. Raneses is entirely unaware of your presence, and if you wish him to remain so, you will listen to me and refrain from activating your Triforce."

The young warrior left his hand where it was. "What do you want?"

The Dark Lord dropped his hands to his sides. "You have done well, infiltrating this fortress to rescue the captive so soon after she was taken. My descendant did not think you capable of such a thing, but I suspected as much. He is a careful tactician, but he continually underestimates you and your allies." Ganondorf leaned forward slightly. "I will no longer make that mistake, boy, not after our encounter." He raised a threatening finger to point squarely at Link's heart. "We will fight again, and I will crush you. But, this is not the time."

He straightened and moved off a few steps, looking down the corridor at something only he could see. "I will let you and your mother go, as she is of no use to me, and I cannot fight you while I do not possess a body." Ganondorf turned around to look at Link and the others. "This is not the time for you and Raneses to do battle. He is strong, perhaps even stronger than I was, and you will need the other two Bearers with you if you hope to defeat him."

Link narrowed his eyes, distrustful. "Why are you telling me this? Why are you letting us go?"

Ganondorf smiled, a disturbing, malevolent grin full of arrogance and condescending amusement. "It is very simple, boy. I wish to make Raneses angry; angry enough that he will not be as careful as he usually is. Being deprived of his hostage will make him very angry indeed." He gestured idly behind. "Being given two more in her place will hardly placate him, but it must be done."

The Master Sword was out of its scabbard and pointed at the Dark Lord almost faster than Link could blink, realizing what Ganondorf meant. "You will do no such thing. Let them go."

All trace of humor vanished from Ganondorf's face. "You are not in a position to make demands, boy. I can easily free Raneses from his meditations, and if I do, he will be down here and you will be dead faster than even you can react." He raised a hand to gesture at Link again. "I do not wish to see Raneses in control of the world any more than you do. He may be powerful enough, but he is hardly suited for such a thing. He craves power for its own sake."

"And you don't?" Link challenged, still pointing his sword at his enemy.

Ganondorf glared at him. "I do not have to explain myself to one such as you. If you wish both your mother and yourself to live, you will leave this place now." He crossed his arms over his chest, a hint of a smile quirking one corner of his mouth. "Your death will come, boy, and it will be by my hand...but not today."

With that, he faded away, and they were left alone once more. Link scowled furiously at the place where his enemy had stood.

He turned to Viktor and Freia. "Please, take my mother somewhere safe. I'll see if I can free Erik and Val." He turned to his mother. "I will see you back in the forest."

Nomi nodded, smiling sadly. "Hurry."

Freia took hold of her arm, and the two of them vanished. Link turned back to Viktor.

"Let's go. I will not abandon them, no matter what he said."

Viktor nodded sharply, and the two of them set off down the corridor.

* * *

Inside his meditation chamber, Raneses opened his eyes, marveling at the power flowing through him. He was more powerful than ever before, and now he could dimly sense all three pieces of the Golden Power through the Triforce of Shadow, though Courage was hard to find, as if it were dormant.

The Dark Lord bolted upright as his questing tendril finally connected with the Hero's piece of the Triforce. He was here!

Ganondorf manifested himself, smiling slightly. "You have unlocked the second tier of power, Raneses. You are close to controlling the Golden Power."

"He is _here_!" Raneses hissed aloud. "The Hero is in the fortress! How did he find this place?"

Ganondorf frowned thoughtfully. "You are right; he is here. I do not have an answer for you. You should go to the dungeon and kill him for his arrogance in daring to challenge you. You are powerful enough. The others are not with him."

Raneses made to teleport himself to the dungeon, but his ancestor held up a hand.

"Do not. You will need time to adjust, and your powers will be unreliable until then. Run instead." Ganondorf gestured to the door.

The Dark Lord paused only long enough to rip the Sword of Darkness out of its scabbard before storming out of his chambers and down the stairs of his tower as fast as he could. Raneses hurled a string of curses at the insolent Hero as he ran, furious that he was here before his preparations were complete. Defeating him would be much more difficult now, but it was still possible.

Running down the steps was taking too long, so Raneses planted a hand on the rail and vaulted over the side, falling for several seconds before landing with a jarring impact on the next landing. He continued this until he reached the bottom of the tower, and ignored his protesting legs as he broke into a full sprint for the dungeon.

It was time for the Hero to die.

* * *

Erik prodded the invisible barrier with his boot again, trying to find an edge, but there was none. The hallway was sealed off in a similar fashion a few feet away, so there was no escaping that way. Both of them had tried teleporting out, but something was suppressing them.

"We're caught!" exclaimed Val, her expression pained. "He must have detected us!"

Erik nodded silently in reply, his mind working furiously as he looked around their invisible prison. There had to be _something_ he could do.

One of the doors at the end of the long hallway opened, and both warriors tensed, but they relaxed as they saw it was Link and Viktor, their swords drawn.

Link immediately charged forward and struck their invisible barrier with the Master Sword, resulting in a sharp cracking sound and several tiny filaments appearing out of thin air, as though the Hero had smashed a window. He drew the sacred weapon back and struck again. More cracks appeared, but it held.

As Link drew his sword back for a third strike, the door at the other end of the hallway slammed open and a gigantic man stormed in, running full tilt for them. He radiated a dark aura, and Erik's skull began to ache at the sheer power of it. He knew at once who it had to be.

With a wordless cry of fury, the Dark Lord charged at them, brandishing a sword black as night with a glowing red gem set into the hilt. From his speed, he would be here in only a few seconds.

Link smashed the Master Sword into the barrier again, and again it cracked, but it did not give. With frantic speed as the Dark Lord approached, he struck the invisible wall again and again, his eyes fixed on the approaching menace. A spider-web of cracks appeared, growing thicker and more connected, but still the barrier held.

At full speed, Raneses ran into the opposite barrier, and it cracked at the impact, but held him back for a few precious seconds.

Erik looked back at Link to see determination spread across his face, followed by an expression of concentration. The Hero frowned, looking down at his left hand, and concentrated again. Shock and desperation flashed across his features as he tried again and again to draw on his Triforce, without success.

As the Dark Lord raged against the other obstruction, Link gripped the Master Sword again and pulled it back in preparation for a powerful two-handed slash, but at just that moment, the barrier holding Raneses back shattered entirely.

In that instant, Erik knew what had to be done. He drew his sword, and as he met Val's eyes, she nodded and did the same, though there was a hint of something on her face that he could not interpret. He paused to look back at Link.

"Go!" he shouted.

He ignored the Hero's shout of protest and hurled himself at the Dark Lord, swinging his blade in a furious arc. The dark blade moved up to deflect his blows effortlessly, sweeping out to knock his head from his shoulders even as Raneses tried to charge past him, roaring in fury.

Val planted a foot on the wall and leaped over to intercept the strike with her own blade, and she whirled it around and under the Dark Lord's weapon to strike back at him. He was forced to take a step back, and he raised a hand, as though to use his powers, but he dropped it and swung back at them instead, scowling.

Erik rolled under a powerful slash, and jumped to his feet behind Raneses, slashing at his back. As the Dark Lord blocked it, the Sheikah glanced up to see that Link had not moved, and was still trying to break through the barrier.

Val attacked again in a whirlwind of strikes, spinning and ducking to avoid the return blows. Erik pointed at the Hero and looked at Viktor, putting as much force into his voice as he could.

"Go!" he shouted again. "He must not be lost!"

Raneses knocked Val away with a kick and turned back to Erik, leaping forward in an overhand slash. The Sheikah jumped out of the way, gritting his teeth as he saw the obsidian-black blade gouge a chunk of stone out of the floor. He raised his sword and blocked the next series of slashes, spinning out of the way as Raneses hurled a punch at his head.

"Get him out of here!" Val shouted, jumping over to stab the Dark Lord in the back.

The dark blade intercepted her strike, and Raneses whirled around to bring his fist against her stomach, knocking her backward with incredible force. Erik had just enough time to look up and see Viktor grab Link around the chest with one arm and haul him back, struggling furiously.

Their eyes met for an instant, and Erik was struck by the abject fury and despair on Link's face before Viktor transported them both away.

Then, Raneses' blade was screaming down at him again, and Erik again jumped out of the way, pausing to catch his breath as Raneses smashed the other barrier away and took a few steps down the hall in that direction.

The Dark Lord snarled in frustration and slowly turned to face the two Sheikah warriors, his yellow eyes glowing fiercely. His breath came in gusts, as loud and angry as an enraged bull as he slowly stalked back down the corridor, raising his weapon.

* * *

As soon as they were whole, Link shoved Viktor away, rounding on him.

"Why did you leave? We should have stayed!" He grabbed hold of the Sheikah warrior's uniform and clenched the dark fabric in his fists. "Why did you leave them behind?"

Viktor grabbed the young warrior's wrists, but Link would not let go. "Do you think I wanted to? They knew their duty, and so did I! You are _not_ expendable." He sighed in frustration, his expression pained. "I did not want to leave them behind, but you must understand; without you, the war is lost. We have so few options, but..."

Link shoved him away again and stormed off through the forest without another word, not caring where he went. He had to be alone.

He walked aimlessly through the woods, no destination in mind, and it could have been minutes or hours later that he finally stopped at a dead tree, leaning over against another, smaller tree.

Link suddenly drew his sword and put all the strength he could into one powerful blow, pouring all his anger and frustration into it.

The blade of the Master Sword sank deeply into the tree, but it did not go all the way through, as he had been expecting it to. In fact, the impact jarred his hands, and he stepped away, looking down at his fingerless gloves in surprise. He knew he was stronger than that. The blow should have completely obliterated the dead tree, especially now that he had absorbed Nemo's power.

Then it struck him; his Triforce was still inactive, as it had been when he tried to draw on it in the Dark Lord's fortress. He tried again to draw on its energies, but it was as if it was simply not there, and he was an ordinary mortal once again.

Link ripped off his leather gauntlet, looking down at his hand. The Triforce marking was still there, surrounded by the swirling blue-green lines of his Twili marking, but it might as well have been a tattoo for all he could feel it.

He yelled in frustration and punched the dead tree with his other hand. He had been betrayed! Val had sealed off his Triforce, probably in the hopes that Raneses would slay him. She was either a traitor or not a Sheikah at all! He cursed himself for trusting her, the other Sheikah for not realizing what she was, and most of all Val herself for betraying them and causing Erik to be left behind to face the Dark Lord's fury.

Once he was thinking clearly again, Link sat down on a fallen log and sheathed his sword. Was she, in fact, a traitor? He knew nothing about the supposed Sheikah agent who called herself Val, and had suspected nothing before. She had given no indication during the mission she was plotting against them, and in fact, had fought Raneses along with Erik, buying Viktor time to transport him away. Was the report she had given him on the Oocca shipyards genuine, or was it merely another part of a larger scheme? If she _was_ working for the Dark Lord, what was Raneses planning? Had this been the plan all along, to lure Link to the fortress without the powers of his Triforce, making him an easy target?

Link wondered, could he have defeated Raneses even without the Triforce of Courage? He had won his duel with Ganondorf purely through his own skill with the blade, though it was undeniable that his piece of the Golden Power had fueled his exertions, given him the strength to resist the Dark Lord's relentless assault.

Even at the end, when he finally fought Ganondorf himself in single combat, the first Dark Lord had come closer than any before to ending the Hero's life.

_Link rolled under another strike, grunting in pain as this drove him into the barrier Ganondorf had formed around them, and it shocked him, sending burning fingers of energy coursing through his body._

_His opponent chuckled darkly, approaching unhurriedly with his weapon hanging loosely at his side. The Dark Lord sneered at him, clearly considering him to be no threat. This was a game to him, nothing more._

_The Hero looked at the glowing white wound in Ganondorf's chest. If he could only manage to land a solid strike there, it would all be over._

_Yelling ferociously, Ganondorf leaped over to him in one long bound, bringing his glowing sword down in a powerful two-handed swing. Just as Link dodged out of the way, the Dark Lord twisted and sent his blade in a new arc, one that connected solidly with Link's side and threw the Hero to the ground, groaning in agony._

_He had no time to check his new wound before Ganondorf stabbed down and Link rolled out of the way, the Dark Lord's sword sinking deep into the earth. Link tried to struggle to his feet, but the Dark Lord lashed out with a gauntleted hand and punched him in the jaw, sending him back into the barrier face-first._

_Laughing in triumph, Ganondorf stalked closer to the battered Hero, blade poised for the final blow.  
_

Link had won that fight, but it had come so close to ending for him that day, all hopes for Hyrule dashed as its protector lay bleeding on the ground. No one could have helped him, and had he not summoned the will to stand and fight once more -or been just an instant too slow- Ganondorf would even now be ruling Hyrule, joining forces with his descendant to cover the entire world in darkness.

His resolve strengthened, Link headed back for the Kokiri village. He knew what he had to do now. He would not let Erik's sacrifice be in vain. He would return to the Dark Lord's fortress with all the force he could muster and end this threat once and for all.

But first, he had to have his Triforce restored. It was his greatest asset against the Dark Lord, and he would need it when he finally fought him. And when he returned to the dark fortress, he would track down the captured Sheikah agents and discover the truth.

* * *

Raneses clenched his teeth in frustration, storming back through the dungeons toward his tower. One of the guards, piggish and stupid, snapped to attention near the exit, and he reached out and struck it across the face with the flat of his sword, knocking it to the ground.

He ignored its confused grunts as he slammed the door open and ascended the stairs to his private chambers. His plans were ruined, and now he would be forced to take drastic measures to delay the Hero and his companions.

They could not be allowed to return here, as they were no doubt planning to do, for his preparations were not ready for him to face the Triforce Bearers in combat. Individually, they were no match for him, but if they worked together…

Reaching his chamber, Raneses entered a room ordinarily hidden by a tapestry and marched for his Communication Stone, triggering it impatiently. He continued calling until the person he wished to speak with finally answered, inexcusable seconds later.

"Yes, my lord?" The voice was female, the raider Akame he had appointed as leader of the Gerudo while he was not present.

"Tell Jotun to rally his army and begin an assault on Hyrule. Burn the southern forests to the ground and demolish the castle and its surrounding city. Kill any remaining Hylians."

"My lord?" Akame's tone was shocked. "We have conquered Hyrule. Why are you doing this?"

"_Do as I say!_" Raneses roared. "We must delay the Hero and his allies as long as possible, and the burning of his homeland will surely attract his attention." He leaned in closer, so that the full force of his glare carried through. "Keep the Hero busy for as long as possible, no matter what the cost. Do you understand?"

Akame's image in the stone nodded uncertainly. "I- Yes, my lord. I will do as you say."

Raneses leaned in even further. "I do not care if the Hero manages to destroy all but you yourself! You will not surrender, and you will keep fighting until I order otherwise. Is that understood?"

He could tell she was shocked, but he had no time to placate her. Irritably, he cut the connection and returned to his chamber, walking to the window.

Ganondorf manifested himself, standing next to him. "Are you sure this is wise? A rash decision may lead to unforeseen consequences."

Raneses ignored his ancestor, continuing to look down at the violent ocean below. He was in no mood for Ganondorf's condescension.

The first Dark Lord nodded slowly. "You are understandably angry. Anger can be a powerful tool in the right hands."

Raneses continued to ignore him, too infuriated to note the self-satisfied smile that crossed Ganondorf's features.

"A powerful tool indeed."

* * *

Author's Note: Much thanks to Seldavia and Cloudrunner Sparty for their help with this chapter. It's definitely better for their input, and free of goofy errors, thanks to Sparty. Thanks again, guys! I really appreciate it. Also, the site occasionally cuts off a space near italics, so if you notice that, let me know so I can fix it. It's the site's fault, not mine. ;)

Now, I will be taking a short break to write another chapter of my Metroid story and do some other stuff, so the next update on this will probably be a couple weeks away. For any of you that are interested, the Metroid story can be reached through my profile.

(Revision Note: I have substantially less work to do now that I've reached the part where Sparty began beta reading, but there's still a sentence or two here and there that needs to be fixed. Enjoy the rest of the story!)


	37. The Burning of Hyrule

Thirty-Seven

Rusl looked across the path to the others crouched at the top of the rock wall on the other side. The late afternoon sun played over the small group of warriors crouched over the road leading south from Castle Town's east gate where it crossed over a small wooden bridge. It was seldom used, but the group of enemy soldiers made straight for it, escorting a supply convoy no doubt containing foodstuffs plundered from the ruins of the farms in Faron Province.

Ashei met his gaze, silently nodding, then gestured to the row of archers next to her: some Hyrule Soldiers, some Arnak's men, and others volunteers from among the civilians in the Kokiri Forest. They readied their bows, drawing back arrows to aim at the approaching convoy.

Rusl turned to the small man crouched next to him, whose hands rested on a box with a plunger handle connected by wires to the bridge below. The swordsman nudged the other man, and he lifted the visor of his protective mask to nod his readiness.

The former soldier drew his sword, tensing the muscles in his legs in preparation for his leap. Around him, others did the same, and the tension in the small band of fighters could be plainly felt as they waited for the enemy convoy to move into position.

Almost there… Almost there…

"Now!" Rusl shouted, springing down onto the top of the rearmost covered wagon.

Others followed him, wielding swords, axes, spears, and any other manner of weapon they had managed to get their hands on.

Back up on the cliff, Barnes pushed down the plunger on his box, and with a great blast of sound, the bridge disappeared in a cloud of smoke and splinters, taking the two lead wagons in the convoy with it.

As Rusl slashed open the top of the wagon, Ashei and her archers rained arrows down onto the scrambling monsters, mostly Bulblins, felling them before they even had a chance to threaten Rusl and his team.

The other swordsmen made quick work of the remaining Bulblins, and jumped into the driver's seats on the other three wagons still on this side of the bridge. Rusl leaped forward through the stacked supplies in the back of his own wagon, stabbing through the Bulblin driver before the creature even knew he was there. Sheathing his sword, Rusl seized the reins and pulled the horses hitched to the cart in a tight turn, sending them back in the direction from which they had come.

Rusl felt the vibration as others leaped into his wagon, settling among the stolen supplies. He urged the horses on to greater speed, hoping to flee the scene before the massive army camped in the wide plain beyond could send in a force after them.

Ashei came forward and nodded to Rusl as she sat on the seat next to him. As she turned to check on the other wagons behind them, she pointed into the sky and shouted, "Trouble!"

He dared a glance behind to see winged shapes swooping in, blades flashing in the sun and angry, screeching cries echoing off the rock faces along the path.

Rusl snapped the reins again, sending the horses careening along the narrow road. If they could just get to the southern forest, these supplies would go to the gathering army there, increasing their chances of success when they finally began their march to reclaim their country.

Ashei stood, taking aim at the Oocca pursuing them, and loosed a volley of arrows, two at a time. Rusl glanced back to see the other archers doing the same in their own wagons.

As the path opened up into a wide field, Rusl looked off to the left and saw the gates of Kakariko, and to the right, another wooden bridge over a narrow chasm. Rusl steered for the bridge, trampling a small, bug-like creature beneath the horses' hooves as the wheels clattered over the beaten dirt road.

Ashei and the other archers continued to fire at the pursuing Oocca, faster as the winged beings approached the rear wagon, readying bombs. With multiple small detonations, the rear wagon erupted in flames, and its occupants dove out, rolling along the path. Rusl didn't get the chance to see if they were all right, as he had to snap his attention forward again when the wagon bounced over the wooden bridge and into another narrow ravine of rock where the road had been cut out of the hill across the path.

Beside him, Ashei stumbled when the wagon went over a particularly rough bump and nearly pitched over the side, but Rusl let go of the reins with one hand and grabbed her arm before she could topple out.

"Thanks!" she shouted. Looking up, she readied another arrow. "Let me return the favor!"

He glanced up just as her arrow pierced a bomb an Oocca overhead was carrying, and the winged being disappeared in a cloud of smoke and feathers. Rusl nodded his thanks, pulling the horses hard to the left as they burst into another open field.

This was the most dangerous part of the mission; the southern plain in Faron Province north of the thick forest was the longest stretch of wide-open space where they would be most vulnerable to attack before they could disappear into the woods with the stolen supplies.

Ashei remained standing, firing back at the Oocca still pursuing them, but Rusl, glancing off to the right, saw another problem: Bulblin riders on horse-sized boars, charging out of the southern entrance to Castle Town at the north end of the field. The thick trees in Faron Woods would shield them from further aerial attack, but if the Bulblins pursued them into the woods…

Shouting to the other archers, Ashei turned her attention to the Bulblin riders and began firing at them. The resistance fighters loosed a volley of arrows at the pursuing Bulblins, and several toppled from their saddles, shrieking, but a few dodged and spurred their mounts closer to the wagons.

Watching one out of the corner of his eye, Rusl drew his sword and took the reins with his other hand, urging the horses on. As the Bulblin drew closer, he leaned over and slashed at it, catching the archer riding on the back in the shoulder and sending it tumbling to the ground.

The rider swung at him with a club, but Rusl ducked under the blow and slashed back. The Bulblin leaned out of range of the strike and pulled its mount away from the wagon.

As the convoy drew closer to the forest entrance, the Bulblin slammed its mount into the wagon, trying to tip it over. In response, Rusl reversed his grip on his sword and stabbed down, not at the Bulblin but at the horse-sized boar it was riding.

The boar squealed in pain and abruptly changed course, throwing the Bulblin from the saddle. The creature trampled its former rider as it thrashed and writhed, running off blindly to slam full-force into the trunk of a thick tree.

Rusl grinned quickly as he checked the other wagons. The other swordsmen and the archers had taken care of the rest of the Bulblins, and they were now free to escape.

The former soldier urged the horses forward again, into the safety of the woods. He drove them through the cramped tunnel leading to the Forest Temple, a tight fit for the wagon, and stopped in the dried-up pond where a weird purple fog had been before Princess Zelda dispelled it.

He leaped from the seat and shouted to the others. "All right, let's get these supplies off the wagons and to the people that will need them. It's almost time for our final offensive."

Ashei paused as she pulled a box out of the back of the wagon. "Do we have enough people to take on a force that large?" she asked quietly.

Rusl sighed. "Not really. But we have Link and the other Triforce bearers, so that might make up the difference."

The other warrior nodded slowly. "Let's hope so."

* * *

Midna was the first to meet him as Link entered the forest village, looking around at the crowds of people moving about in preparation for something.

"Hey," she said, waving in greeting. "Where have you been? Everyone's been looking for you."

"I had to think about something," Link replied.

Midna touched his arm, her face concerned. "What happened? I asked Viktor, but he wouldn't say anything."

"Raneses captured Erik and Val," Link said, feeling his jaw clench.

She gasped. "Oh, no. What happened?"

Quickly, he described what had happened back at the Dark Lord's fortress, including his inability to draw on the Triforce of Courage.

The Twilight Princess frowned thoughtfully. "I'm no expert on the Triforce, but sealing off a piece so its bearer can't use it doesn't sound like something your ordinary Sheikah would know how to do. I think we should ask the others just how they know Val. Something doesn't seem right here."

Link nodded. "I have to talk to my mother first, though."

Midna smiled. "Of course. Take as long as you need. I'll see what I can find out in the meantime."

"Do you know where she is?" he asked.

She nodded and pointed off at the Hero of Time's house. "I think she's still with Freia."

"Thanks."

Midna nodded again as she moved off. "See you later."

Link headed for the stump-shaped house where one of his predecessors had lived, and caught the end of a conversation between his mother and the Sheikah agent as he drew closer.

"So, why didn't you give us more of a warning about the slaves' descendants? You must have known they were still in the area, and Leif would have left if he had known what they were planning," Nomi said, a bit of heat creeping into her tone. "If you had been more specific, Leif would have left right away, and Rickard wouldn't have died. It's just like Leif said." She pointed her finger at the other woman. "Rickard's death was just as much your fault as those who killed him!"

Freia sighed quietly. "I am sorry for what happened to your family. You are right; we should have been more specific in our warning. But, you have to understand, we had very few agents then, and we could not spare anyone to watch your family more closely. I've regretted it for years, and so has Viktor. Rickard did not deserve what happened to him."

Link looked back and forth between the two women, puzzled. "You know each other?"

Nomi turned to look at him, the anger in her face fading away at the sight of her son. "We met before you were born. She and her brother came to make sure your father and I hadn't found some sort of weapons cache hidden in the manor."

Freia nodded. "I understand you found this cache, Hero. Do you have the Staff of Lightning?"

Link produced the item, holding it out for the agent to see.

"Use it wisely," Freia said. "It is capable of terrible things." After giving him a meaningful look, the Sheikah agent departed, leaving Link and his mother alone.

Nomi gestured to the staff still in his hands. "That's what they were guarding all this time? That's what was in the manor that they didn't want us to find?"

Link nodded silently, looking down at the inscribed lightning patterns.

Nomi smiled and reached out to touch Link's arm, as if trying to confirm he was real. "And they let you have it. I'm proud of you, Link. I know your father would be, too, if he were still here."

Link sat on the ground, leaning back against the stump-shaped house of his predecessor. "What happened to my father? Rusl always told me that he thought you had been attacked in the forest by bandits, but we were never able to find out exactly what happened."

Nomi sat down next to him, tucking the folds of her simple dress around her legs. Her face took on a distant, sad expression, one that spoke of a pain long remembered and thought of often over many years.

She was silent for several moments. "He…" She paused. "He died. He died defending me from those who attacked us, and they killed him right in front of me. I… I thought they had killed you, too. I didn't see you anywhere, and I must have gone half mad, thinking everything had been taken away from me at once." Link's mother looked over at him, and he saw tears forming in her eyes. "If I had known you were still alive, I never would have left. I… I never would have abandoned you."

A sob escaped her, and Link leaned over to place a gentle hand on her arm. "I have never felt abandoned. I've always known you and Father were taken from me, that you never would have left me behind willingly."

Nomi smiled, reaching over to touch his cheek. "You're just like him, you know. Leif always knew exactly what to say."

Link smiled back. "Tell me about him. I remember bits and pieces from when we lived at the manor, but I don't really know anything about him."

And so, for the next hour, she did. Nomi told her son stories of his father, ranging from how they met, -she had thrown her father's shaving water out into the street and drenched him- to some of his adventures in trying to re-establish the family mines in the mountains. Leif's brother, Rickard, featured in most of the stories, though Link noticed that she said nothing about what eventually happened to him. He knew this already, from his discussion with the mountain warrior back at the manor, and so did not press her for details.

Nomi paused in the middle of a story -an account of a lively discussion Leif had had with her parents that proved he was not as stupid as they thought him- when a servant, a man whose name Link remembered was Martyn, stumbled out of the house the King was staying in, utter grief and anguish on his face.

Curious, Link got to his feet and made his way over to the servant, Nomi following. The little man was sobbing, clenching the fabric of his finely made tunic in his hands and occasionally wiping his nose on his sleeve.

The Hero could already guess what had happened, but he approached Martyn and gently touched him on the shoulder. "What is it?" he asked softly.

The servant started to answer but sobbed instead, shaking his head.

A weeping soldier, one of the King's bodyguards, stumbled out of the house in much the same manner Martyn had, clutching his spear. His distraught wail confirmed Link's suspicion.

"The King is dead!"

* * *

Arnak stood at the window running the length of the conference room of _Falcon's Pride_, watching Nimbus City recede in the distance. It had been determined that little could be done for the city itself right now, so all available personnel had been loaded onto the warships docked at the base that could still fly.

One capital ship had been too badly damaged to repair on the way, and three smaller ships had been completely obliterated in the explosion. Fortunately, most of the fleet docked at the base had already departed for the rallying point when the captured Oocca fortress detonated, or the losses would have been much more severe.

The Sheikah had provided Viserys the coordinates of the shipyards, and those present at this meeting had been surprised to learn that they were currently only a dozen miles from Hyrule, hovering over the Gerudo Desert.

"What are they doing there?" Raskys asked, checking the coordinates against the map again.

Viserys tapped the section of the world map depicting Hyrule, indicating the notations recorded on it. "Since it was captured, Raneses' army has used Hyrule as a base from which to conquer the rest of the continent. It may be his main focus at this time, but I must admit that I am unsure. I know too little about this Dark Lord to get an accurate grasp of his strategy and make plans to counter it. All we can do is destroy as much of his operations as we can in hopes of slowing the invasion."

"My fellow Triforce Bearers and I will deal with the Dark Lord," Arnak said from the window, turning to face the others. "I need only to rejoin them."

Raskys smirked. "It's too bad you can't teleport." He paused, the smirk fading to be replaced with a curious look. "Or can you?"

The big man shrugged. "I do not know. I have never tried to do it on my own."

Viserys turned as a messenger entered the room and handed him a dispatch. After dismissing the messenger, he read through it and frowned.

"It appears much will be decided in Hyrule," he said. "This says that the army encamped outside the capital is mobilizing. The scouts thought that they were perhaps preparing to move on the independent cities to the south, along the coast."

"The slavers?" Raskys asked. At Viserys' nod, he scowled. "I say let them go. I won't shed any tears if they're destroyed."

The Mercenary King inclined his head in acknowledgment. "True, but you must remember that not everyone in those cities is directly involved in the slave trade." He turned to Arnak, changing the subject. "I suggest you contact your allies in Hyrule and appraise them of the situation. I will supply ground troops if they mean to take their country back."

Arnak nodded. "They will doubtless appreciate this. I will contact them immediately." He took out the Gossip Stone Princess Zelda had given him and moved off to call her with it.

* * *

Midna led the way as Majacen followed her over to where Link stood talking with Princess Zelda. _Queen_ Zelda, she corrected herself, based on the recent news. There would have to be a coronation to make it official, but Hyrule's rulership rested solely on the Bearer of Wisdom's shoulders now.

The wizard had been very interested by the description of what had happened to the Triforce of Courage. As Majacen had told her, very few people should know how to do something like that, and he wanted to question the Hero further on Val and what, exactly, she had done.

"Your Majesty," said Majacen as they approached, "Allow me to express my deepest condolences for your loss. Your father will be missed."

Zelda nodded once. "Thank you." She paused for a moment before continuing, something indecipherable flickering across her face for an instant. "Unfortunately, the Dark Lord will not allow time to grieve. I have just received word that the army camped between Kakariko and Castle Town is mobilizing. Something tells me they mean to march on us, on this refuge, and assault it."

Majacen sighed, turning to Link. "Then is it time for the Hero to fulfill his sacred duty once again. Hyrule's protection depends on you." He gestured at Link with one hand. "But to do this, you will have need of the power gifted to you. Please, describe for me what was done to the Triforce of Courage."

The young warrior did so, adding details as prompted by those listening. Majacen frowned thoughtfully throughout the entire description, his expression growing more and more concerned.

Finally, when Link was done, he spoke. "The number of individuals who would have the knowledge necessary to do such a thing is extremely limited. Sealing a piece of the Triforce so that its bearer cannot draw on its energies is not a simple task. I was unfortunately not paying enough attention to your team. Could you provide me with a physical description of this Val?"

Link did so, and Majacen's expression went from concerned to surprised. "Did she ever tell you her full name?"

The Hero shook his head. "She just said to call her 'Val', and that her full name was too complicated to pronounce."

"Do you know her, Majacen?" Zelda asked.

"I might," the wizard replied. "She might be…"

Majacen trailed off and fell silent for several moments, long enough for Midna to wonder what he was thinking. When he did finally speak, he changed the subject.

"It is no matter, and may not even be what I am thinking regardless." Majacen extended his hand. "If you will give me your hand, Hero, I will remove the seal from your Triforce."

Link held out his left arm, and Majacen gently gripped his wrist with one hand, holding the other palm-downwards over the Triforce marking hidden by the young warrior's glove.

After a few moments, the Triforce of Courage manifested itself, the bright golden light shining even through Link's glove, and the Hero drew in a deep breath, seeming to swell up a little. The aura Midna had first sensed a little over a year ago deep in Faron Woods -the one that drew her to a monster dragging an unconscious wolf behind it- flared out, and she could sense his power once more through her own abilities.

Majacen clapped Link on the shoulder. "You are fortunate that I know much about the Triforce, young one. You would not have been able to remove this seal on your own."

"How do you know so much about the Triforce?" Midna asked, curious.

The wizard turned to her. "As an emissary of the Goddesses, knowledge of the Golden Power is essential to my duties. I am often called upon to assist the Triforce Bearers in some way."

Link adjusted his glove as the golden glow faded away, his expression curious, also. "So… have you ever met them? The Goddesses, I mean."

Majacen nodded. "Yes, initially when I received my power, and twice since then."

Zelda looked genuinely surprised. "That is a rare honor. Not even the Royal Family of Hyrule has ever had the privilege of meeting those who created the world, to my knowledge."

The old wizard smiled beneath his thick beard. "I wish that I had the time to tell you of these encounters, but we have more pressing concerns upon us. We must make ready to go to war, and this must command our full attention if we are to succeed."

Zelda nodded. "The Hero and I must organize an army, as best we can. Viserys has promised us troops, but they have a great distance to travel to get here, and there will be heavy fighting in the intervening time."

Link clapped his hands together once. "Let's get to it, then."

* * *

Nabooru stood outside her tent, gazing up at the sky along with every other Gerudo in the camp. Passing slowly overhead, just beneath the level of the clouds, was a massive structure that could only be described as a floating city. She had seen several of the Oocca vessels called flying fortresses, which were over a mile wide, but this structure dwarfed them, spreading almost from one horizon to the other. She realized as she studied its underside that almost two dozen of the flying fortresses were docked to the floating city, seeming to be insignificant additions to the overall bulk.

Next to her, one of the warriors shook her head in amazement. "It is as if someone pulled the Hylians' capital from the ground and set it afloat in the sky. What are these Oocca, that they can build such things?"

Nabooru turned to the warrior. "Evil," she said bluntly. "They have allied themselves with the Dark Lord, and so are deserving of destruction." She had thought this before, but her unpleasant experience with being under Raneses' control had only strengthened her hatred of him. That horrible time was fresh in her mind, and she was only now feeling like herself again.

The warrior continued to gaze up at the floating city, her expression enraptured. "But sister, can you not admit that it is beautiful? Such wonders cannot be the work of something truly evil."

Nabooru had to concede that point. Overall, the city was indeed beautiful, with gentle round lines and soft colors. The sharp, twisted shapes of the fortresses contrasted greatly, as did the obvious additions in the surrounding area. Perhaps these Oocca were being controlled and were forced to serve the Dark Lord, just as she had been.

Nearby, the Matriarch caught Nabooru's eye and beckoned her over. She made her way over to the ruler, noticing on the way that she held a Gossip Stone in one hand. The raider found herself looking back up at the city occasionally, unable to look away from such an unusual sight for long.

The Matriarch looked up at Nabooru as she arrived at the ruler's tent and backed inside, speaking to person on the other end of the stone. "Nabooru is here, sister. Tell her what you have told me."

Akame's voice answered, her tone defeated and disappointed. "Raneses has gone mad! He insists that we destroy Hyrule and draw out the Hero. He even told me directly that he does not care if we all die, so long as we delay the Hero until he commands otherwise."

Nabooru sighed angrily. "He is just like his ancestor; he does not care about his people, so long as we are able to further his plans. Do you see his true nature now, sister?"

Akame sounded hurt. "I do. I suppose it was too much to hope that he would live up to his promises. What should I do?"

The Matriarch answered. "Have all our sisters heard this order?"

"They have."

"What are his orders concerning the rest of his army in Hyrule?"

Akame was silent for a moment. "He has commanded his Darknut general to burn the southern forests and destroy Castle Town, engaging the Hero if he appears. The Gerudo are to assist with this." The raider sighed. "How are we to possess the Hylians' country if it is uninhabitable? His orders will make it little better than the desert, once Jotun and his troops have their fill of destruction."

"Have you considered surrendering to the Hylians?" Nabooru asked, suppressing the instinctive objection to even think such a thing. The cultural disdain for the Hylians was deeply ingrained.

Akame scoffed. "Even if we could find them, what good would it do? Raneses would destroy us all for doing it. I am risking his wrath even talking to you like this. Only because he is busy with whatever he is planning for the Hero did I even consider calling to ask your advice."

"What is he planning for the Hero?" the Matriarch asked.

"I do not know. Whatever it is, he requires time to prepare it, thus his insane order. He does not care what happens to us, as long as the Hero and his allies are delayed long enough."

The Matriarch looked up at Nabooru, still speaking to the raider on the other end of the connection. "I will bring my warriors to the Hylians' capital. We will meet there and discuss in person what to do."

"Thank you, my lady. I will instruct the patrols to let you through." Akame closed the connection.

The former ruler pocketed the stone, resting her other hand on the scimitar that hung from her belt, an ordinary steel weapon like those used by all of the desert warriors. Her usual weapon, the bejeweled scimitar of the Gerudo leader, was currently in the Dark Lord Raneses' possession, the warlord having claimed it as his own when he declared himself king of their people.

She placed a hand on Nabooru's shoulder. "Once we cross the border, head for the southern forest. You will meet the Hylians there, and ask to speak to the Hero. Explain our situation to him, and ask that he and his companions spare our warriors if they are forced to fight them. The woman Midna who released you from Raneses' control contacted me several hours ago and told me where we could find them if we needed their help. She and the rest of Link's companions will know who you are."

Nabooru nodded. "I will do this, my lady."

The Matriarch met her eyes. "Leave any prejudice or animosity you feel toward the Hylians here. The days of considering them our enemies are over. If I survive this war, I intend to forge a new peace between our peoples, so that we may ask for their assistance. The desert has been harsh to our people in the last few decades, and if Raneses does not ruin us entirely, we will die out on our own. We need any alliances we can get."

The raider clasped the other woman's forearm. "I will not fail."

* * *

Jotun, Supreme Commander of Lord Raneses' army in Hyrule, looked out over the wide plain that stretched between Hyrule's capital and one of its towns, Kakariko. Ten thousand soldiers, some his own people and others of the different races under Lord Raneses' control, stood massed in formation over the gentle slopes of the plain, stretching to the bridge at its eastern edge. He stood atop a platform elevating him above the crowd, built a few yards in front of the bridge leading to Castle Town behind him.

He raised his massive greatsword over his head, feeling the wind tug at the cloak that denoted his rank, hanging from the shoulder plates of his gold-colored armor. "_BURN IT ALL!!_" he roared. "Level the mountains, dam the rivers, and pull down their pathetic buildings! Lord Raneses commands it!"

The army replied with a yell of approval, the section of his own people cheering the loudest. Jotun waved behind him with his sword. "Destroy their city! Smash it all until nothing is left! _BREAK IT ALL DOWN!!_"

Another deafening cheer went up from the army, accompanied by a terrific racket as they slammed their weapons against their armor and each other. Jotun grinned fiercely behind his helmet. Any hearing this would be cowering in fear, even those who had destroyed one of the bridges leading to this field earlier today. They were not worth the effort, and so Jotun had not commanded any of his people to pursue them. A ragged band of rebels posed no threat to an army of this size, anyway.

At a great racket from the rear of the army, Jotun assumed some of his soldiers had had a particularly exuberant reaction, and he grinned again as he thought about all the destruction he would be able to cause with this force.

The Supreme Commander's grin faded, slowly replaced by furious disbelief as he looked closer at the disturbance and realized what was causing it. Even from this far away, he could see the gigantic being smashing his way through the army, tossing troops aside as if they were mere insects.

Jotun summoned the most virulent curse he knew in his native language and shouted it in rage. The Gorons were attacking! Gigantic rock-men were popping up throughout the gathered army and demolishing anything foolish enough to stand its ground, shouting merrily all the while.

As the monsters, humans, and his people pressed forward, away from the Gorons, Jotun jumped down from his platform and swung at the first Lizalfos to draw near to him. The sheer force of the blow sent it careening backwards, puffing into thick black smoke upon landing.

"_STAND YOUR GROUND!!_" Jotun roared at the top of his lungs. _"GET BACK THERE AND FIGHT THEM!!_"

"But sir," said a human, one of the long-haired warriors Lord Raneses had sent from some country far to the north of here, "how can we fight something like this? What are their weaknesses?"

Jotun grabbed the man by the lower edge of his intricately inscribed breastplate and hurled him over the heads of the nearby soldiers, back towards the nearest Goron. "Go find out!" he shouted after him.

Sighing angrily, Jotun tried to figure out how to deal with this. Gorons were practically indestructible, and if they weren't stopped, they could decimate even his huge army unopposed.

He pulled out his Communication Stone and tried to contact the Dark Lord. After several attempts, he finally received an answer.

"What is it?" Raneses snapped, clearly irritated.

"My lord, we are under attack by Gorons! Is there anything we can do to defeat them?"

"Fight them," Raneses responded. "You outnumber them, don't you?" With that, he cut the connection from his end.

Snarling in frustration, Jotun hurled the stone at the nearest Goron with all his strength. It bounced off the rock-man's back, and he turned in surprise to look at Jotun with a curious expression.

Grinning widely, the Goron rolled himself into a ball and sped forward, knocking aside or running over anything in his way. He sprang out of the ball and high into the air a few feet in front of Jotun, coming down with his arms and legs outstretched.

The Supreme Commander jumped out of the way, and the Goron landed on his head. But, showing unusual resiliency, the rock-man turned his hard landing into a roll and ended up on his feet, turning around to grin widely at Jotun again, one massive hand waving him forward in a beckoning gesture.

Jotun obliged, swinging his greatsword hard at the Goron's stomach. To his surprise, his strike landed, the Goron grunting at the impact as he moved too slow to intercept it. He clutched his stomach with one hand and retaliated with a massive stony fist aimed at Jotun's helmet, but the armored warrior dodged, the punch just grazing the side of his head. Still, the force of the blow spun him around, and Jotun felt the Goron kick him in the back.

He flew forward and hit the ground hard, rolling over just as another Goron, almost twice the size of the other, stomped down with a foot the size of Jotun's chest. He had seen this Goron before; he was the one known as Darbus, their patriarch.

"Having fun, Brother?" Darbus rumbled to the other Goron.

"Most definitely, Brother!" the smaller Goron replied, patting his stomach, which was undamaged as far as Jotun could see. Just after he finished speaking, he turned and slammed a fist full-force into a passing Bulblin. The creature flew at least a dozen yards away, shrieking.

Jotun decided retreat was the only option in the face of such overwhelming strength. There was nothing that could be done, since even though they outnumbered the Gorons several hundred to one, there was no way to kill a Goron with the weapons the army used. Their stomachs might be weak points, but if even Jotun's blade could not pierce their skin, he was unsure how to exploit this. Unfortunately, the reverse could not be said. The giant rock-men were using nothing but their fists, feet, and bodies, and they were decimating his army.

The Supreme Commander was just about to raise his horn to sound the retreat when a massive shadow blotted out the sun, passed, and another followed it. Everyone on the battlefield paused in their fighting and looked up. Reactions were mixed; the Gorons and some of the lesser monsters reacted with fear, while Jotun's people, the humans, and anything smart enough to realize who had sent what was casting the shadows cheered in exuberant relief.

Overhead wheeled three gigantic dragons, winged reptiles, the largest of which bore a set of plate armor specially crafted for it. It roared loud and long, a terrifying sound that shook even Jotun to his bones.

Darbus cupped his massive hands to his mouth. _"FALL BACK, BROTHERS!!_" he bellowed, waving a huge arm in the direction of the Gorons' mountain. _"FALL BACK!!_"

Seeing one of the smaller dragons swooping in, Jotun blew his horn, calling all under his command to come to him with all haste. What was left of the army surged forward in a tide of steel and leather, fleeing the approaching dragon in the opposite direction from the retreating Gorons.

The dragon opened its deadly jaws wide and loosed a blast of flame directly upon the crowd of rock-men. Most rolled into a ball and were thus unharmed, a large section of the plain catching fire around them, but an unlucky few perished under the intense heat, their exposed skin no match for unnaturally hot dragon-fire. One Goron, quick enough to roll out of the way of the gout of flame, was snatched up by the dragon's claws as it pulled up to wheel around for another pass. Jotun watched it pop the rock-man into its mouth, swallowing it whole.

The gathered monsters cheered, and Jotun let them for a few moments.

"All right!" he shouted finally. "That's enough. Clean up this mess, you worms! Get yourselves organized again! We'll have to postpone the attack until tomorrow."

At a chorus of disappointed groans from the nearby monsters, Jotun swung his sword at the closest one, slow enough that it could duck.

"Shut up! It's going to take the rest of the day to get you lot sorted out again, so get moving. You'll have your fill of blood soon enough." When the army was slow to obey, Jotun jumped forward and cut down a Bulblin with such speed and viciousness it didn't even have time to squeak in terror. "It's not a request, maggots! _MOVE IT!!_"

Almost grudgingly, Lord Raneses' army began to shuffle back into formation, facing the inevitable assault by whatever army the Hylians were able to muster. Jotun smiled nastily. With dragons on their side, as well as still-enormous numbers, the battle would be over quickly.

* * *

Having dispatched the dragons he had been keeping in reserve for just such an occasion, the Dark Lord Raneses sealed himself in his meditation chamber again, removing any distractions. He sat down on the bare stone floor in the exact center of the spherical chamber and closed his eyes, sinking into meditation.

Ganondorf manifested himself, his ancestor's voice filling Raneses' mind. "Now, we will unlock the next tier of power in the Triforce of Shadow. The process will take hours, but once it is complete, the powers of my creation will be fully under your control. The Golden Power will, at last, be ours to command."

Raneses did not show it outwardly, or in any other manner Ganondorf could detect, but a spark of amusement flashed through him at the use of 'our' in the first Dark Lord's statement. Though Ganondorf could not know it, Raneses intended to eliminate his ancestor as soon as the process was complete.

And, though Raneses could not know it, Ganondorf planned the same for him.

* * *

Author's Note: Much thanks to Seldavia and Cloudrunner Sparty for their input on this chapter. Some of the dialogue in the Kokiri Forest sections was improved at Seldavia's suggestion, and Sparty reminded me that Gorons are a little tougher than I originally gave them credit for. The battle at the end is more realistic now. Thanks, guys! The next chapter should be up soon, since after a recent burst of inspiration combined with an entire day off spent writing, I'm now two chapters ahead of this in my writing. Much thanks to all readers and reviewers, especially the regulars. Till next time!

(Revision Note: Fixed a couple descriptions; not much to do otherwise)


	38. The Hero's Army

Thirty-Eight

The Kokiri Forest was quiet, the usual ambient level of sound created by the thousands of refugees packed into the village and the surrounding forest strangely muted as those gathered in the ancient grove contemplated what would happen tomorrow.

Few slept, as nearly everyone in the forest would either be leaving to join the Hero in the battle that would be fought over Castle Town or staying behind to worry over those departing. The army was leaving at dawn, and so many of those who would fight the next day spent a last night with their loved ones, knowing they might never see one another again. Even with all the beings of power arrayed at the head of the Hero's Army, as the force had decided to call itself, casualties were a certainty.

Scattered throughout the village were the major players in the next day's battle, those who would lead the army, and upon these people the burden weighed heaviest.

The ruler of Hyrule, Zelda, stood shrouded in her black cloak upon a cliff overlooking the forest village, her hood raised against the chill that came with nightfall. Tomorrow, the new Queen would fight alongside the Hero for whom the army was named in defense of her country. She had flatly refused Link's suggestion that she stay here, no doubt a concession in the face of her father's death. She knew she would have to join the Hero in his confrontation with the Dark Lord after the battle was over, and she needed to keep her mind sharp and unclouded from grief. Zelda would grieve in private once the crisis was over; she did not have time for it now.

The former soldier Rusl sat outside the house his family occupied, sharpening his sword. Tomorrow, he would lead one of the divisions of the Hero's Army to retake Castle Town from the horde that occupied it, being one of the most experienced warriors among the occupants of the forest village. He looked forward to the next day with a mixture of fear and resolve. As any sane person did, he feared that he would be killed in battle, but this fear was more for his family, who would be left without a provider and a guiding influence for his children. Rusl's son would become a fine young man in time, but his daughter was not yet a year old, and if he died, she would never know him. His resolve was to make sure he returned to his family at the end of the day tomorrow, and to make sure that the men under his command did the same.

The Twilight Princess Midna stood on the balcony of the Hero of Time's house, looking out over the village and the dozens of tents it contained. Tomorrow, she would lend her considerable power to the Hero's Army, in an effort to keep the vastly superior numbers of Raneses' army from overwhelming those who gathered here to defend the Golden Kingdom. Herself included, many of the defenders were not native to Hyrule, but knew its importance nonetheless. Her thoughts drifted to her own people, and how confused and frightened they must be, just like these people. Midna had vanished from the Twilight Realm without a word, forced to flee to the Light Realm after confronting a monster beyond her skills. From what she had left behind, combined with the amount of time passed without word from her, the Twili likely believed her dead. If she ever hoped to see her home and people again, Midna knew she had to survive the battle. The Twilight Realm had seen more than enough turmoil, and she needed to return it to the peaceful world she had grown up in.

The warrior Ivan sat in front of a fire, cleaning and sharpening his weapons. Tomorrow, he would lead a division of the Hero's Army along with Ashei, fighting to keep the monsters under the Dark Lord's command from destroying Castle Town. His thoughts dwelled on his loved ones, slaughtered nearly a year ago by the Dark Lord's forces. His wife, two daughters, and his grandchildren had all been mercilessly cut down while he and most of the other men of his village had been out hunting, oblivious to what was happening. Ivan's oldest daughter had just told him of her second child's first words that morning when he left. Now all of them were gone, and he was hundreds of miles from his home. Ivan fought to keep that terrible tragedy from being repeated here, no matter what happened to him.

Others' thoughts were on the battle taking place the next day, but none of them would be taking part in it. Instead, they would be sending off their loved ones, not knowing whether they would return.

The Hero's mother Nomi Fenris sat in the lone bed of the Hero of Time's house, watching her son sleep where he lay on the floor near the window. Tomorrow, she would watch him ride away at the head of an army, off to fulfill his duty as the chosen warrior of the Goddesses. She could never have imagined this destiny for her son, but knowing he had such a great responsibility both saddened her and filled her with pride. Nomi felt the pride any mother feels at knowing her child has become an adult and is ready to face the challenges the world offers on their own, but she felt a little sadness at knowing her son had no chance at a normal life. For better or for worse, Link was a servant of the Goddesses, and likely would be for the rest of his life. She only hoped he was allowed to find happiness for himself someday.

The girl Ilia who had grown up with the Hero sat next to the creek that ran through the middle of the Kokiri Village, listening to the water gurgle along beside her. Tomorrow, she would watch the man who had always been her friend leave her behind once again, riding away to save Hyrule from those who threatened it. Her thoughts drifted to Link, who seemed to be regarded as some kind of larger-than-life figure by those he defended. To Ilia, he would always be just Link, her friend who had always been there for her. Earlier that evening, he had come to her and talked for hours about anything she wanted to know, listening to her accounts of life in the village while he had been away. It had been just like the dozens of evenings they spent back in Ordon talking about nothing after a long day's work, and she was grateful to him for taking the time to spend with her. It would likely be the last such evening spent, so she would treasure the memories as her path and that of her childhood friend grew further apart.

The wife of Rusl and mother of Colin, Uli, lay awake in her bed like so many other wives and mothers tonight. Tomorrow, she would send both her husband and son off to war, and would spend the entire time they spent apart worrying about them both. It was understandable that Rusl would be taking a leading role in the battle, but she had not expected her son to insist on going along. Colin had grown much in the last year, leaving the timid little boy he had been behind and taking the first steps on the path to becoming a man. His experiences with the Hero had emboldened him, and he refused to stay behind with the other children. Rusl had reluctantly accepted, but he had sternly told the boy to stay near him at all times, pride in his eyes during the lecture. She feared for both of them, hoping with all her heart that they would both return from the battle unharmed.

Worries swirled like an invisible storm over the village, hope and fear, courage and trepidation, and finally, most drifted off to sleep. Night passed, and the day of the battle to decide the fate of Hyrule came at last.

* * *

Link Fenris, Hero of Twilight and Bearer of the Triforce of Courage, sat astride his faithful mount, Epona, in the middle of a wooden bridge leading down into the sloping plain in Faron Province where the Hero's Army gathered. The early morning sunlight flashed off of his suit of Magic Armor, the sacred Master Sword drawn and hanging at his side as he finished composing a final word of encouragement for the brave people that would fight alongside him today. He was not given much to words, and was unused to addressing large crowds, but these people looked to him for leadership, and he would do his very best to provide it.

He raised his sword over his head, giving all a good view of the famous weapon, long used in the defense of the Golden Kingdom. Link looked out at the crowd for a moment, surveying the faces turned up in anticipation. He saw a drastic range, from those with hair white from age and faces lined with experience, to those even younger than himself, their eyes bright and alert and burning with anticipation for the coming battle.

"We fight!" the Hero began. "Not for ourselves, but for our homes and families. We fight to reclaim what was taken from us, to keep it from being destroyed. We fight to take back our home, our right to live in peace under fair rulership, without fear of being oppressed and slaughtered by a merciless dictator who cares only about acquiring power with no regard for what he destroys to get it."

He gestured at Zelda, sitting fully equipped for battle atop her own horse next to him on the bridge. Majacen sat on his mount on her other side, and Midna floated a few feet off the ground next to him, dressed in her armor.

"We fight to return our Queen to her throne, and for her to have a throne to return to. Our enemy is even now beginning their destruction of our capital." Link leaned forward, putting fire and righteous indignation in his voice. "_Will you let this happen?_"

In one, unified shout, the thousands in the Hero's Army bellowed back, "_NO!!_"

Link shared a glance with Zelda, and she nodded and urged her horse forward a few steps. "Then, go!" the Queen shouted down to the army. "Show these monsters the strength of your resolve! Show them that they cannot come in and take our country from us whenever they please! Send them back to wherever the Dark Lord summoned them from, and let them know we will not be so easily conquered in the future. It is time to make this country ours, now and forevermore! This day is a beginning, the beginning of our renewal, and after this, we will rebuild our country from the ashes to become a glorious nation once more!"

She drew her rapier and held it aloft. "You have your orders. Go!"

The gathered fighters cheered, and Link broke in to give one final word. "For Hyrule! For Zelda!"

The Hero's Army repeated this, and turned it into a chant as they split into three groups. "_FOR HYRULE!! FOR ZELDA!! FOR HYRULE!! FOR ZELDA!!_"

The division headed west, bound for the west gate of Castle Town, was the smallest group, still numbering over a thousand, and it was commanded by Rusl. Link's former teacher waved from his position at the head of the line, and the Hero spotted Colin nearby, his determined expression obvious even from this distance. Link fervently hoped nothing happened to either of them, and would be watching for them when his group made their way into the city.

The division headed north, the one with the shortest distance to travel, consisted of a little more than a third of the overall force, and was commanded by Ivan and Ashei. They had minimal cavalry, expecting, as with the West Gate division, to do most of their fighting within the city itself. Most of the warriors that had come with Arnak were with this force, as were a great many of the Hyrule Soldiers. Link was confident this division would sustain minimal casualties, being made up mostly of experienced warriors.

The division headed east, through Kakariko, was the largest group, expecting to encounter the bulk of Raneses' army in the wide eastern portion of Hyrule Field. It was commanded by Link and Zelda, and he would personally lead the charge while Zelda and Majacen took care of strategy from the rear, at the Hero's insistence. He refused to risk her any more than was necessary, partially out of concern and the fact that she was the ruler of his homeland, and partially out of the fact that she would need to be with him, uninjured, when he finally confronted the Dark Lord.

Midna, floating next to Link as he discussed this with the new Queen, snorted in amusement. "I noticed that you haven't insisted on anything like that for me."

Link raised a wry eyebrow. "Would you do it if I did?"

She grinned. "No. You think I'm going to let you hog all the glory for yourself?"

He smiled back. "That's what I thought." He turned to Zelda. "Stay safe. I'll keep in contact."

Zelda nodded, and she and Majacen guided their horses off to take their place in the formation, the new Queen's face expressionless, hiding whatever she was thinking. Link's heart went out to her; having to keep her thoughts on the battle and the overall war while having so recently lost her father. It showed her strength, he thought, perhaps greater than his own. If Raneses had killed his mother, Link didn't know if he would have been able to show similar resolve now.

Midna levitated next to Link, keeping pace as he guided Epona to the front of his division, tying a bit of leather cord around his Gossip Stone as he did so. He tied the stone around his neck to leave his hands free, it being the way he and Zelda would communicate during the battle.

He stopped at the head of the formation for a final word to his troops. "Our battle will be the heaviest, and we will be in the thickest fighting today. The enemy will resist us all the way through Kakariko and out into the field. Our ultimate goal is to make it through their lines and to the city, to keep them from destroying it. I will not lie to you; many of you will not leave that field, but know that any sacrifices are made in the defense of your home and family. There is no more honorable death than one defending these things."

His division of the Hero's Army cheered, their voices joining into one to show their determination. Link turned Epona around to lead the way, trotting down a road the two of them had journeyed dozens of times before, the rhythmic thumping of the army's footsteps joining in and echoing off the narrow rock walls.

As had been determined beforehand, Midna swooped off to watch for archers and Oocca, the greatest threat to the army in the relatively confined space leading into the Eldin lands, where they would be able to spread out once again.

Link heard a discharge, a few clashes as blades impacted against each other, and several surprised and terrified grunts as the Twilight Princess dispatched the row of Bulblin archers that had been waiting for them.

Once his division emerged into the field west of Kakariko, split down the middle by a chasm, the Hero called a halt and watched as those appointed to the task moved forward and placed several sturdy wooden bridges across the gap in addition to the one already present. These had been built by eager laborers during the time Link and the Hero's Company had been on their journey to Calatia, spurred on by Rusl and Ivan.

The two veteran warriors had been planning this ever since the Hero's Company first left the Kokiri Forest, and had been dividing their time between training those who wished to fight in basic infantry tactics and organizing construction and distribution of the war materiel. As Midna had joked, all Link had to do was show up and take command; the rest was taken care of.

Link led his troops over the bridges, and paused again for a final conference at the place where the road split to run off to the bridge destroyed late yesterday. Auru joined him, mounted on a gray horse that belonged to the older man.

"Everything is ready, Link," he said. "We will fulfill our duty, just as you must fulfill yours."

Link leaned over to clasp forearms with his friend. "Good luck, Auru."

He nodded. "And to you, Hero. May the Goddesses smile on both our efforts."

Auru turned and led a third of Link's troops off on the road to the destroyed bridge, bringing the constructed bridges with them. They formed a crucial part of the strategy: while Link and the main part of the East Gate division charged the enemy from the front, Auru and his troops would wait until the battle was well in progress and charge their formation from the rear, further disrupting it and providing reinforcement to the Hero's troops.

Two Hyrule Soldiers ran forward and opened the gates to Kakariko, standing aside as Link urged Epona forward and the big red-brown mare trotted into the village, followed first by the mounted fighters that would serve as the cavalry, and then the infantry.

Link glanced about the deep canyon Kakariko occupied, its tan stone walls stretching high overhead, topped by the smoldering cone of Death Mountain. To his right, the shallow pool of the Spirit's Spring reflected the rays of the slowly rising sun. To his left stretched the town, looking much the same as it had the first time he had seen it, only this destruction was more recent. There had been an attempt to rebuild the canyon community, but this had been disrupted by the beginning of the war, and the village had become a frequent battleground as Raneses' army forced the Hyrulians further south. It seemed little more than a ghost town now.

The Hero looked back at his troops. The mix of humans and Hylians kept up their pace, following in good formation for mostly untrained soldiers. A few of them were obviously from Kakariko, judging by their expressions of disbelief at the wreckage their home had become.

As his division passed the entrance to Death Mountain, a hulking shape three times the size of an ordinary man stepped out in front of Link, and the Hero called a halt.

"What is it?" Zelda asked from the Gossip Stone around his neck.

"It's Darbus," Link answered.

Midna swooped in and hovered next to Link, sheathing the Twilight Blade and resting one hand on its hilt. "We've got a problem," she said, her expression one of grave concern.

"A terrible problem, Brother," Darbus added. "The Gorons will fight alongside you, but first you must destroy the dragons the Dark Lord has sent to aid his army."

Link felt his stomach sink. "Dragons?"

There were anxious murmurs behind him as this filtered down the line.

Darbus nodded. "Three of them, Brother. We attacked the enemy army yesterday, and we destroyed a great many of them, but then the dragons appeared and pursued us back to our village. They killed several of us." The massive Goron hung his head in sadness. "We were attempting to disrupt them, so that they would be unprepared for your attack, but it is we who were surprised."

Link frowned. He had fought a dragon once before, and he was not looking forward to repeating the experience.

"This complicates things," Majacen said through the Gossip Stone. "The Hero and the Twilight Princess will have to focus on the dragons while the rest of our troops engage the enemy. When the Bearer of Power arrives, he will be able to provide assistance."

"The troops should stay here," said Zelda. "We cannot risk them to the dragons, and we will need our full strength to engage the enemy."

Midna smirked, nudging Link's arm. "Me and you alone against a big ugly monster, huh? Sounds about right."

Link nodded, half-smiling himself. "We'll go get rid of the dragons, then. I'll signal when I'm finished."

"Though you'll probably be able to tell," Midna added, winking.

* * *

Viserys stood on the command platform of _Falcon's Pride_, looking out at his gathered fleet. Nearly three hundred warships, all that could be summoned here away from the rest of the war effort, hovered in formation, spread across the sky like a flock of enormous birds.

Far off in the distance, he could see their target, the shipyards where the flying fortresses were manufactured. It was arranged in a huge circle, not unlike Nimbus City, and docked fortresses were scattered in concentric rings around a central complex of towers and spires, several miles in diameter itself. Now, observing the facility through his telescope, Viserys modified his plan slightly, adding and removing details based on his observations and the report submitted to him by his Sheikah contact. Apparently, the secretive tribe had sent in a team to scout the place, and once they relayed their findings, the agents remained behind to act as saboteurs. Viserys had been asked to help extract the team, something he would do as soon as he received their signal.

What that signal was, however, was something his contact had failed to mention. He had been expecting the team leader to contact him through the Communication Stone, but when something else happened, he knew what to do.

First, one of the docked fortresses exploded, the bright flash and rush of noise nearly overwhelming even from this far away. Viserys averted his eyes from the flash, and looked up in time to see the first fortress start a chain reaction that, within a matter of seconds, destroyed half a dozen more. Only because one drifted free of its moorings was the chain interrupted.

Viserys leaned over the large Communication Stone mounted in the center of the railing of the command platform, one that tied him into the commanders of the respective battle groups. "Attack!" he ordered. "All ships, begin your attack runs!"

The Mercenary King issued more orders as the ships of his fleet spread out to attack the facility, swooping in like gigantic, fleet-winged birds of prey. More of the mile-wide fortresses detached themselves from their docks, and smaller groups split off to engage these, maneuvering around and providing cover for each other, demonstrating total precision in their formation.

Viserys kept the _Falcon's Pride_ back with the reserve to observe the battle so he could strategize, but he would be taking the flagship in on its own mission shortly.

One of the groups of Balacruf ships succeeded in destroying a fortress, but the detonation spread faster than the captains had anticipated, and several of the ships were swallowed in the fireball. One of the burning wrecks coasted on its momentum briefly, and ended up crashing right into the top of another fortress that was maneuvering around the conflagration. This fortress began slowly listing to one side, and other Balacruf ships took advantage of this to swoop in and unload barrages of bombs on it.

The battle soon resembled a sort of organized chaos, with the smaller shapes of the airships flitting around the greater bulk of the flying fortresses and the facility itself, exchanging shots, destroying and being destroyed in turn.

Viserys surveyed the scene, finding that the battle was going mostly according to plan thus far. But, his enemy was nothing if not unpredictable, and so he braced himself for some sort of terrible weapon that would be unleashed upon his ships.

As it turned out, the terrible weapon was on his side. He hadn't even noticed Arnak leaving the bridge, but the Bearer of Power soon made his presence manifest in the battle by destroying three fortresses in a matter of moments.

The first seemed to have been destroyed by the fleet, erupting in yet another blindingly bright fireball. However, it was followed seconds later by another, which, incredibly, crumpled in on itself as if a giant had crushed it within a gargantuan fist. The mile-wide ball of wreckage stopped its tumble, reversed direction, and passed through the still-fading fireball of the first before impacting directly with the third fortress, sending burning fragments of both careening in all directions.

Viserys caught sight of the bright golden light floating in the midst of these fantastic occurrences, and focused his telescope upon it. He was astonished to behold Arnak, flying without any visible means of support on to his next target.

The telescope nearly slipped out of his grasp, an extreme reaction for the normally reserved Viserys. "What is this man?" he said quietly.

"He's on our side," came an answer from below. Viserys glanced down to see Raskys watching the scene with intense concern. "Whether or not that's a good thing remains to be seen."

* * *

Hundreds of miles away from Hyrule, two people huddled in a cold, dark cell in the dungeon of the Dark Lord Raneses' seaside fortress. Distantly, like far-off thunder, they heard the roar of the surf outside the thick stone walls. There were no windows, and only a flickering torch mounted on the wall outside provided illumination.

They had both sustained serious wounds, but of the two, the man, the Sheikah warrior Erik, was in worse shape. He knew he had internal injuries, and wouldn't last long without a skilled healer. Unfortunately, neither of them specialized in the healing arts, and, what was worse, something was blocking any and all attempts to use any kind of magic.

Erik lay on the cell's cold metal bunk, trying to focus on staying alive. The other occupant of the cell, a woman who claimed to be a Sheikah who called herself Val, cradled his head in her lap, actually weeping in what seemed to be frustration and sadness.

As he looked up at her face, marred by a large bruise on her cheek and a slowly healing cut on her forehead, Erik was struck by how young she looked. For the first time, he realized that she couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen. A girl, really.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, biting back a sob. "I'm so sorry."

Erik tried to reply, but groaned instead when something broken ground against something sensitive inside him. He knew several of his ribs were broken, and there was probably a great deal more damage he didn't know about, besides. The Sheikah warrior wasn't sure if he would be able to recover from this.

After being soundly beaten by the Dark Lord, the two of them had been dumped in this cell, apparently forgotten or ignored by their captor afterwards. It was worth it, though, Erik told himself. The Hero had gotten away, and there was still hope as long as Link was alive. He would keep fighting with the last bit of breath in his body, and the Dark Lord would be brought down if it was the last thing Link ever did. During his journey with the man, Erik had gotten to know Link well enough to know that his tenacity and sheer force of will would carry his quest through to the end.

"I should never have done it," Val said suddenly, blinking away her tears and composing herself. "I should never have assumed my control was that precise."

Erik gave her a questioning look, not wanting to speak. He was certain one of his lungs had been punctured, or would be shortly, as he felt a broken rib digging into one of them.

"I only wanted to help," she said by way of answer. "That's why I came along, to help him in any way I could. It's what I'm for, you know. It's the duty I accepted." Val took a deep breath, visibly trying to calm down. She sighed in frustration. "But instead, I made things worse. The Hero was nearly killed, and you…" She trailed off, squeezing his arm. "I'm so sorry," she whispered again.

Erik gritted his teeth as another wave of pain swept through him. Something was definitely wrong. Help needed to come soon.

He wouldn't be leaving this place alive if it didn't.

* * *

Midna stood at the top of a cliff just outside Kakariko, Link next to her. They were both in their suits of armor, their poses nearly mirrored as they surveyed the wide plain below.

Spread over the plain outside Castle Town was a massive army, at least nine or ten thousand strong. Closer to Kakariko, a wide strip of the plain had been burned, and where there had once been green grass, there was now a slash of black, as if a giant painter had swiped his brush across a portion of the field.

Midna knew what had happened there, and felt a tendril of fear creep out and whisper to her that the same thing could happen to her and Link. She squashed it immediately, reminding herself that she and her friend had fought much more dangerous monsters, namely the first Dark Lord.

"You see them?" Link asked, his deep blue eyes searching the sky.

Midna turned her attention to the clouds, looking for anything that seemed out of place. Far off in the distance, in the direction of the Gerudo Desert, a bright fireball caught her eye, and she peered closer, thinking it was dragon-fire.

It turned out to be an Oocca flying fortress, in the midst of being destroyed by Balacruf warships. As the clouds shifted, she saw the massive facility Viserys' fleet was attacking, and she nudged Link's arm, gesturing at it.

"I didn't know it was this close," he said, shading his eyes with one hand. I might go over there and help them if I get the chance."

Midna chuckled, unable to resist making a joke. "So much fighting to do, and so little time. It's times like this when you wish there were three more of you, don't you?"

Link returned her grin. "At least." His grin faded suddenly, and he raised one arm to point at something moving in the clouds far above the field. "There!"

Midna looked closer. The shape was indeed a dragon, bigger than the one they had fought at the City in the Sky, and twice as mean-looking. She sighed, not looking forward to fighting the gigantic creature.

Then another one burst out of a cloud, so huge that she had to compare it to the smaller one to get a sense of scale. It was big, bigger than any living thing had a right to be. Its wingspan had to stretch at least an eighth of a mile, and its body was covered in plate armor, black and sharp-angled, giving it a wicked aspect.

Another dragon, roughly the same size as the first one they had seen, swooped down, right into the army camped outside Castle Town, and snatched up a fleeing Bulblin with its long, deadly teeth. It tossed the shrieking creature high into the air, catching it in its mouth and swallowing it whole.

Midna tapped Link's shoulder plate with a fingernail. "You get the big one. And one of the small ones."

He glanced over at her, wry amusement on his face. "How about we each take one of the small ones and work together on the big one?"

She pointed at the armored dragon, which glided silently over the battlefield, seemingly observing and waiting for something. "Meet you there, then."

Link drew his sword. "Right." Nodding to her, he activated the Icarus Wings and shot into the sky, aiming himself at one of the smaller dragons overhead.

Midna watched him for a moment, tracking his progress, then drew her own weapon and levitated a few feet into the air, looking around for the other dragon.

A second's warning, an intense blast of heat at her back, was what let Midna know the dragon had instead found her. She dove, twisting out of the way as an incredibly hot gout of flame occupied the space she had just vacated.

"Ugh," she muttered to herself, "I didn't think something that big could sneak up on somebody."

Midna rocketed backward, hovering up to eye level with the great beast. "You sure are ugly, you know that?"

In response, the dragon breathed more flame at her, and she flew up and over, dodging the fire to speed for its back.

Midna caught hold of one of the spines protruding from the dragon's back and held on as it swooped in a tight circle, trying to figure out where she had gone. It spread its wings and dove for the plain, perhaps thinking that she was hiding among the thousands of monsters gathered there.

Pulling forward and increasing her speed, Midna paced the dragon's head, remaining out of sight above its eyes. The wind rushed over her face, and she could feel it dragging over her armor.

To her surprise and great amusement, the dragon loosed another gout of flame right into the middle of the enemy army, incinerating at least a hundred of them.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" she asked it, pulling in closer to its head.

Now it was time to get down to business. Reversing her grip on her sword, Midna pulled in until she was just above the creature's spiny green head. Grabbing hold of a spine that protruded from the dragon's forehead, she steadied herself and plunged the Twilight Blade into the creature's right eye.

It howled, a deafening roar of agony that threatened to overwhelm her senses, and thrashed in pain, its wings folding as it spun to try and get a look at what had hurt it.

The Twilight Princess sheathed her sword and gripped the creature around the neck, holding on through its gyrations. She knew just behind its head was the only place it could not reach with its fire.

Astonishingly, she heard a thunderclap, incongruous with what was becoming a sunny day. When she heard two more in quick succession, incredible reverberations of sound, Midna risked a glace up in time to see a lance of jagged white energy stab across the sky and impact Link's dragon directly in the face, the thunder following a moment later.

She scoffed amusedly. "Cheater."

"Whoa!" she exclaimed in the next second, pressing herself tighter against the dragon's neck as it turned upside down and tried to scrape her off on the tower guarding one end of the Bridge of Eldin. Swooping down into the deep chasm under the bridge, the dragon turned back over just as it was about to hit the water of Zora's River.

A spear hit the dragon in the nose, and Midna glanced over the side to see a Zora standing on a rock in the middle of the river below, its arm raised to point at the creature. Three more spears hit the dragon, and Midna faintly heard cheers over the beating of the creature's wings and its roaring.

She chuckled, and abruptly cut off as the dragon slammed its neck into the bridge, trying to dislodge her. It landed on the long span of stone, tucking in its wings as it thrashed its head. After one particularly violent gyration, it succeeded in tearing Midna loose, and she tumbled along the bridge, coming to a stop next to the edge.

It stomped closer as the Twilight Princess shook her head, trying to clear it, and she barely rolled out of the way in time as the green monstrosity breathed fire at her again.

Unfortunately, she rolled in the wrong direction, and dropped straight off the edge of the bridge. After a moment of panic, she summoned her levitation abilities and floated up to press herself against the underside of the bridge.

Midna heard the dragon's heavy footsteps as it paced along the bridge, looking for her. Once, its scaly green head lowered over the side, but luckily its blind eye faced her and it did not notice her, pulling its head back up.

Or so she thought. Suddenly, the dragon's head appeared at the opposite side of the bridge, and Midna dropped again as it spat flame at her.

She slowed her descent and reached behind when she felt heat on her back. The end of her long hair was on fire, and she crushed it out before too much was consumed.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that!" she told the dragon, still far above on the bridge.

Quickly tying her now shortened hair up out of the way, Midna drew the Twilight Blade and rocketed straight upward, shooting past the dragon at an incredible rate of speed. Surprised, it jumped up and followed her, breathing flame once again.

She was too far in front of it to be harmed, but Midna still felt the intense heat wash over her, and she dove, flying just above the ground.

Midna grinned as an idea formed in her mind, and she swerved into the enemy lines, dodging and maneuvering with all her skill as she weaved her way between formations of Bulblins, Lizalfos, Darknuts, and a group of humans she didn't recognize.

The dragon was just stupid and angry enough to fall for it, and it again tried to fry her with its fire, blasting it right into the enemy army and consuming dozens as it pursued her. She grinned in amusement, not risking a look back but knowing what was happening.

As she pulled up to fly over the heads of the gathered monsters, Midna glanced back to see a catapult-launched boulder suddenly hit the dragon right in the head. It roared in pain, and another missile followed the first, crushing the creature's skull. It dropped immediately, plowing into a formation of Lizalfos that were not quick enough to get out of the way.

Puzzled, Midna looked around for the catapults, and saw them being manned by a group of Darknuts under the direction of a gold-armored one with a long black cloak hanging from his shoulders. One of the missiles shot at her with uncanny accuracy, and Midna dodged it, pulling up to avoid more.

She was just in time to see Link draw the Master Sword and speed at his dragon, cutting off its head in one powerful strike. The body thrashed, a shudder moving through it, and it dropped like a stone, something inside it bursting into flame on the way down. It crashed into the chasm running along the field to splash into Zora's River below.

Link swooped over and hovered in place next to Midna, breathing heavily.

"Having fun?" she asked amusedly.

He grinned in reply. "Oh, yeah." He waved his sword at the armored dragon, which still flew in slow circles high above. "Ready to take that one?"

She nodded, grinning herself. "Whenever you are."

Link took a deep breath, sheathing his sword and pulling out the Staff of Lightning. "Let's do it, then."

The two of them aimed themselves at the massive armored dragon and sped at it, readying themselves for a difficult battle. Something this big didn't go down easy; they'd learned that over and over on their first journey together.

But, like the others, it would fall sooner or later. Hopefully.

* * *

Her muscles straining, Nabooru heaved herself over yet another rock wall, dropping with a grunt to the ground on the other side. The border between Hyrule and the Gerudo Desert was nearly impassable, and she never would have gotten her horse this far unless it had wings.

Finally, the end was in sight. The raider paused at the edge of the cliff, looking down into Hyrule. To her right was a great stone bridge she had seen a hundred times, spanning a sparkling blue lake below. Lake Hylia had long been a source of contention between the Gerudo and the Hylians, and it was part of the reason the desert people harbored such animosity for their neighbors.

To have such a plentiful source of water so close to their parched desert home and to be denied access to it was viewed as the ultimate insult.

Taking a deep breath, the raider reminded herself of the Matriarch's words. She focused on her mission; to find the Hero and tell him what she knew.

She heard voices, and ducked behind an outcropping, carefully peering around it to see their source. A group of mounted warriors slowly trotted past, coming from the direction of the city, and they paused just underneath her, as if listening to something.

The mounted warriors were tall, thin humans with long dark hair bound into braids on some and left loose on others. Both men and women were wearing intricately engraved armor inscribed with characters in a language she did not recognize, and they were armed with spears and short, slightly curved swords, different from the scimitars her own people used.

Preparing to jump down from her hiding place and ambush them, Nabooru paused as she heard the noise her intended targets were apparently listening to. It sounded like hundreds of feet walking in sync, along with… chanting?

Looking over to the bridge, Nabooru saw them. It seemed that the Hylians had finally mustered an army, intent on retaking their country. They didn't look as organized as she expected, but they looked determined, and that might make up for it. Pushing down the instinctive reaction of contempt and fear, she reminded herself that those in the army were now her allies against their mutual enemy.

The mounted warriors prepared to retreat, but the Hylians saw them first and charged, brandishing their weapons. Horse and warrior alike fell by a barrage of arrows, and it was then that the raider saw her chance. She only hoped the Hylians would not shoot first, assuming her to be another agent of the Dark Lord.

She tensed her legs and sprang, coming down right on top of one of the warriors. Nabooru shoved him off his horse, kicking him in the head with a booted foot when he tried to get back up. Pulling back on the reins to keep the horse stationary, she held up her other hand when the Hylians saw her.

"Do not attack me!" she said in Hylian, looking back and forth at the row of threatening faces. "I mean you no harm."

One of the mounted Hylians, who she saw was actually human when he drew closer, peered at her, a suspicious look on his face. He was perhaps in his mid-thirties, a trim goatee framing his mouth and a headband holding back his blond hair.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Nabooru," she answered. "Is the Hero among you?"

"No," the man replied. "He is with one of the other divisions. Why are you looking for him?"

"I need to speak with him in regards to the rest of my people. Please, it is important." Nabooru steadied the horse beneath her, obviously nervous at a strange rider. She made sure to keep her hands away from the scimitar at her belt, waiting anxiously for a response other than an arrow or a sword's edge.

"She's a Gerudo!" someone in the crowd shouted. "She's a spy for the Dark Lord!"

"I am not!" Nabooru hastily replied, holding up her empty hand. "My sisters are being forced to serve him, and I need to tell this to your leadership. The Matriarch is even now on her way to Castle Town to help the rest of our sisters decide what to do."

The goateed warrior guided his horse to within arm's length of the raider and extended his hand. "My name is Rusl, Nabooru. I believe you."

She shook the proffered hand, restraining her sigh of relief. "Thank you, Rusl. Please, tell your warriors not to kill my sisters if they see them. We will fight along with you if the Matriarch is successful in her own mission."

Rusl nodded. "I'll make sure the word is spread to the rest of the army. If you want to find Link, he should be at Kakariko Village, to the east of here. If you hurry, you may be able to catch him before his division charges."

Nabooru nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

She put her heels to her horse's flanks, charging past the army and south along the bridge. The Hero himself posed the biggest threat to her sisters, as he could single-handedly wipe out any force sent against him if he thought they were his enemies.

For the good of her people, she had to convince him otherwise.

* * *

Author's Note: We're very close to the end now. As always, major thanks to everybody who reads and reviews this story. I hope you're enjoying it! Chapter 39 will be up soon.

(Revision Note: The usual)


	39. The Battle of Castle Town

Thirty-Nine

"Come on!" Ashei shouted, waving her troops forward. She reared her horse up and let it kick the Lizalfos threatening her in the chest and face. The reptilian being tumbled backward down the steps of the south gate to Castle Town, its weapon clattering down the stone stairs alongside its body before it finally exploded into smoke.

Her division had encountered unexpectedly heavy resistance, meeting a large force of Bulblins and Lizalfos in the field before the grand stairway leading up to the south gate. They had charged, and now found themselves in a free-for-all on the stairway and the field around it.

Ashei slashed down with her sword, catching a Bulblin on the head, and it turned to jump at her, but she neatly skewered it, letting it drop to the ground to puff into smoke. Another jumped out from behind a decorative tree nearby, and before Ashei could do more than steady herself, her horse lashed out with its hind legs and knocked the creature back into the tree with crushing force. It was nothing more than smoke a moment later.

Next to her, a Hyrule Soldier clutched an arrow that had suddenly sprouted from his chest and collapsed backwards. Moments later, a comrade avenged him by firing an arrow right between the eyes of a Bulblin archer.

A little ways down the steps, Ivan held his own amid a crowd of Lizalfos and Bokoblins, his double-bladed axe flashing and whirling around him as the grizzled warrior dodged and blocked his enemies' attacks before returning them.

He paused for an instant to catch Ashei's eye. "Into the city!" he shouted, taking a chop from a Lizalfos on the haft of his axe. He swept his blade under its weapon and on through the creature's chest before it could react further, turning to slay a Bokoblin even before the Lizalfos had hit the ground.

Waving any mounted Hero's Army soldiers toward her, Ashei gathered herself for a charge through the enemy lines. She tightened her grip on her sword and hauled the reins of her horse over to her left.

The other mounted warriors -mostly farmers on their work animals wielding their own weapons or swords and axes salvaged from Snowpeak- either followed her or split to charge up the other side of the staircase that split around a decorative pool.

When the southern gate of the city was in view, the mounted warriors pulled in close together, and, using a time-honored tactic of cavalry everywhere, simply ran over the enemy line, using their horses' size and weight to bowl over the line of monsters, crushing them beneath their hooves. The Bulblins and Lizalfos didn't stand a chance.

Ashei spurred her mount right up to the heavy door, and confirmed that it was locked. While unfortunate, it was not unexpected. She waved the contingency plan forward, shouting for archers and the infantry to cover them.

Two huge horses, accustomed to pulling plows, pulled instead behind them a cannon, salvaged from the armory at Snowpeak Manor. It had been a major headache getting it here from Zora's Domain, but it was about to prove its worth.

"Bring it up!" Ashei called to the horses' driver, perched atop the cannon.

Around her, the South Gate division of the Hero's Army continued to drive back the monsters defending the gate, slaying and being slain themselves. It was the first time most of them had tasted actual battle, and would be the last for many. But, such were the ways of war, and casualties were the only sure guarantee in any engagement.

Covered on all sides by Ashei, Ivan, and their troops, the cannon-master wheeled his burden up onto the drawbridge, which, for some reason, was still down, and aimed it at the heavy wooden doors barring access to the city.

The small, skinny man triggered the cannon and ducked down, covering his ears. With a sharp report, the cannon discharged and the heavy doors blew inwards, splinters flying in all directions. The huge horses reared up in fear, but their driver tried his best to calm them down, urging them to pull the cannon out of the way.

Now that this part of her mission was complete, Ashei rallied her troops to her again. "To the castle!" she shouted over the din of battle. "Follow me!"

Upon making it inside the city, Ashei and Ivan's task was to spread their troops through the city and hold it against any attempt to destroy it by Raneses' army, just as Rusl's task was to hold the castle itself against the same assault.

As she and her troops charged into the city, Ashei briefly wondered how Rusl and his warriors were faring before returning her full attention to her own mission.

* * *

Colin had never been more frightened or more exhilarated in his life thus far. He was actually fighting in a real battle, the prospect of which still terrified the naturally timid boy.

But, his training with his father and Link, mixed with the harrowing experiences of his kidnapping a year ago and his journey with the Hero's Company, had given the boy a great deal of courage, and so he wielded his blade with all the skill he knew, cutting down Bulblins and Bokoblins at his father's side.

Rusl held nothing back, revealing for the first time Colin could remember the true depth of his skill. As the former soldier spun and slashed, Colin thought that the only person he had ever seen who could possibly exceed his father's skills was Link, and now that he knew to watch for such things, he saw a great deal of Link's style mirrored in Rusl's technique.

The two of them, along with many of the warriors Rusl commanded, fought in the central square of Castle Town, around and in the central fountain. Enemy archers harried them from rooftops, but archers in their own group picked off the enemy snipers one by one, catching them when they popped out to fire another shot.

Without even pausing, Rusl flashed his blade out to deflect an arrow headed for his son, and Colin did the same a moment later, bringing his shield up between an incoming shot and his father's back. It thudded into the wood with a solid impact, and the boy glanced over the edge of his shield to see a Bulblin archer topple from his post, a Hylian arrow protruding from his throat.

Rusl slashed through another Bulblin's defense, leaving yet another cloud of unnatural smoke behind, and Colin ducked under his arm to skewer a Lizalfos upon his own blade, a smaller version of his father's. Rusl reversed his grip on his sword and finished the Lizalfos off, spinning the hilt back through his fingers to block a strike by a Bokoblin, letting Colin slash under the two larger combatants' weapons to land a fatal strike on the creature.

"Good job, son," Rusl said, smiling down at Colin.

Colin smiled back. "Thanks, Dad."

Rusl's warm smile abruptly faded as he looked up at something over Colin's shoulder, and the boy's heart turned to ice as he saw what held his father's gaze.

A gigantic Bulblin garbed in patchwork armor topped by a great horned helmet sat atop an equally gigantic boar, just as mean and tough-looking as its rider. Colin knew this particular creature well; it had captured him in Kakariko and carried him off, forcing Link to chase it around the wide field outside the canyon village to rescue the boy. From the Hero's accounts of his adventures, he had fought King Bulblin three more times after that, and to Colin's knowledge, that made him the only creature to have fought Link more than once and survived.

King Bulblin raised the visor on his horned helmet and nudged his mount closer to Colin and Rusl. His ugly green face contorted into an approximation of a smile, and he held up one hand.

"I follow the strongest side!" he said in a deep and surprisingly articulate voice. "You are very strong, yes?"

Rusl nodded suspiciously, still holding his sword in a guard position in front of him.

King Bulblin continued smiling, displaying his blunt yellow teeth. "You are led by the warrior who wears green, yes?"

Again, Rusl nodded.

The huge creature grinned even more broadly. "Then you are the strongest side. I follow you!"

He pulled out a huge horn and sounded a long, low note on it, following it with three short, sharp blasts and another long note. All Bulblins within sight immediately stopped attacking the Hero's Army and instead turned on their fellow monsters, slaying many before the other creatures even had time to react. None had time to flee or warn the rest of the Dark Lord's force about the Bulblins' sudden switch of sides.

King Bulblin spurred his mount off down the road to the east gate, leaving without another word.

Colin and his father exchanged incredulous looks. "What does this mean?" the boy asked.

Rusl watched the Bulblins continue to destroy their former fellows. "I'm not sure," he replied. "I'm not sure at all."

He clapped his son on the shoulder. "We still have a duty to perform, Colin. Let's get to it."

Colin nodded and followed his father on to the next group of enemies.

* * *

Five times, Link had hit the enormous armored dragon with a bolt from the Staff of Lightning, and five times it had shaken it off and charged him again. Even a blast of destructive magic from Midna had only slightly wounded it, and it showed no signs of tiring.

For once, the Hero was stumped. His most powerful weapon could not hurt the creature, and alarmingly, the Icarus Wings seemed to be running out of energy. He knew next to nothing about the magical flying device Bo had given him, but he was pretty sure the Wings weren't meant to be used for this long without a rest.

For the third time in ten minutes, Link dropped without warning. A moment later, as with the previous times, his fall was halted by the same force that enabled his flight. Having no other choice, Link shot forward, right over the dragon's massive sapphire-blue head. He hooked an elbow around one of the protrusions on its helmet and pulled himself in, gripping the huge steel spike with both arms and legs.

Midna swooped in to hover next to him, steadying herself with one hand on his shoulder. "What are we going to do?" she yelled in his ear, barely audible over the rush of wind from the dragon's beating wings.

The Hero started to shake his head and reply that he didn't know, when he spotted a familiar airship streaking across the sky, headed straight for them: the _Argent Hawk_, a capital-class warship in Viserys' fleet, probably bearing Viserys' promised ground troops.

Link grinned, the wind tugging at his lips as it did his hair and armor. He knew what to do.

He pointed at the warship, leaning over to place his mouth next to Midna's ear. "Go board that ship and help me relay commands to them."

She looked over at him, one eyebrow raised in suspicious amusement. "What are you going to do?"

Link grinned again. "What I do best. Go!"

The Twilight Princess took off for the Balacruf ship, and Link silently willed the Icarus Wings not to cut out on him for at least the next five minutes.

The huge armored dragon began a ponderous turn to face the incoming warship, roughly its same size. Already, little tongues of flame danced at the corners of its mouth, and though he could not see its eyes from his current perch, Link imagined a hungry, predatory gleam. This dragon was intelligent and obviously well-cared-for, judging by the condition of its armor. He would have to time this carefully to prevent it from realizing what he was doing.

Drawing the Master Sword, Link sped forward, scraping the sacred blade along the ridge of the helmet protecting the dragon's nose. Planting his boots on the metal, he slid forward until he shot out into open space right in front of the dragon's nose, pausing only long enough to stab it in its unprotected snout before dropping like a stone and watching as it followed, its attention diverted from the warship.

"What's the plan, Mr. Hero?" asked Midna's voice from the shadow just behind his ear. "These guys are impatient to drop off their buddies and get back to the other battle."

Link sheathed the Master Sword and called his bow to his hands from the magical 'pocket' in which he kept his large array of equipment. He combined his arrows with bombs and, while still falling backward, loosed several bomb arrows at the armored dragon's nose and eyes.

"I'm going to distract it," Link shouted over the rushing wind, "so have them line up a bombing run."

"The captain wants to know what his target is," said Midna's voice.

"The dragon's spine!" Link shouted, arming and firing three bomb arrows at once. "Tell them to use all their guns!"

He could hear the grin in his friend's tone. "Gotcha. One strafing run, coming right up."

Link activated the Icarus Wings, swooping down in a long, wide arc that took him over the heads of the monsters on the field. The dragon followed, spreading its great wings wide as it glided after him.

The Hero pulled his arms in close to his body and spun so that he was flying with his back to the ground. Upon feeling an arrow bounce off the shield on his back, Link quickly aimed and loosed a bomb arrow, watching it hurtle down and send a formation of Bulblin archers flying in all directions.

Link glanced back up at the dragon and saw it starting to turn back to the warship, which was now almost parallel to the gigantic flying reptile. He fired four bomb arrows in quick succession, drawing its head back toward him.

When it turned back again, he put away his bow and drew the Master Sword. "Hey!" he shouted. "Over here!"

"Yeah," said Midna's amused voice. "Don't you know he's a bigger threat than this huge warship?"

Holding the sacred blade out before him with both hands, Link stretched out until he resembled a giant arrow and tripled his speed, shooting straight at the dragon's head. Far off in the distance, he noted, two more airships were inbound and would be here soon.

When Link drew close, the armored dragon opened its enormous jaws wide and loosed a blast of flame, which he twisted to avoid, scraping his sword along the creature's armored spine.

Finding a gap, he caught hold of one of the dragon's spines with his right hand and plunged down with his left, stabbing the Master Sword deep. It howled, a throaty roar full of pain and anger, and twisted its head to breathe more fire back at him.

But, Link was already gone, flying under the dragon's wing to find a grip on the armor protecting its belly. Finding another gap which nothing except someone this close could exploit, he stabbed the creature with the Master Sword again, twisting the sacred blade a little before pulling it out and flying up in front of the dragon's head again.

The creature's howl threatened to deafen him, and rage filled its reptilian eyes as it focused on him. It opened wide to breathe flame, but Link's bow was out and a bomb arrow nocked, ready for this.

He sent the bomb arrow right down the dragon's gullet, grinning in satisfaction as the creature grunted, its breath leaving it in a gust of foul-smelling air.

It was now that _Argent Hawk_ moved into position and opened fire, the huge bird-shaped warship loosing dozens of bombs at once from its cannons. The armored dragon screamed in rage and pain, and every time it opened its jaws, Link sent another bomb arrow down its throat.

_Argent Hawk_ and Link kept pace with the dragon, peppering it relentlessly with explosives, and when he finally sensed it growing weak, the Hero took out the Staff of Lightning.

The dragon was half-blind with pain and anger, and its eyes crossed as he approached and jammed the head of the staff into its mouth. He felt a build-up of heat, tongues of flame licking at the edges of its lips, and he placed his boots on the flying reptile's lower jaw, meeting its orange slit-pupiled eyes with his own hard sapphire gaze.

An instant of silence passed, and then Link discharged the Staff of Lightning, pouring all the energy he could into the bolt.

The result was spectacular, as the force of the bolt blew Link backwards and the dragon erupted with crackling white energy, tendrils of electricity pouring out of its eyes, mouth, and nose. The suit of armor crackled, conducting the charge throughout the creature's entire body, and several pieces blew right off, spinning through the air.

_Argent Hawk_ made a final bombing run along the dragon's spine, and this, combined with everything else, snuffed the life out of the great beast. Howling one last time, a sustained note of rage and defiance, the dragon spread its wings to their fullest and almost gently began to drift for the ground. Its head slumped and folded beneath it as the enormous creature crashed into the field just in front of the enemy line.

Link followed it down, hovering in place above the dead creature's head as the dust cloud its impact created faded away. Making his gaze as flinty and his expression as fierce as possible, he glared down at the front rank of monsters, holding the Staff of Lightning aimed with both hands at the nearest group of them.

It made for an impressive image, and it was of course at this moment the Icarus Wings chose to fail, dropping the surprised Hero to the ground in a heap alone before nearly ten thousand monsters.

Their terrified expressions were slowly replaced by predatory grins as the closest monsters readied their weapons, advancing on Link as he got to his feet.

Grinning right back at them with an expression more suited to his wolf form, Link put away the Staff of Lightning and drew the Master Sword, taking his shield in hand.

A Lizalfos was the first to realize the mistake of engaging the Hero, falling to the ground in three pieces before puffing into smoke. Three more encountered similar fates before Link ducked under a swing from a Darknut's mace, spinning in a quick circle to scatter the Lizalfos and Bulblins that approached before springing into a back-flip that carried him over a surprised Bulblin's head.

It was even more surprised to find the Master Sword protruding from its chest as Link landed, and it grunted once before collapsing. The Darknut smashed the other monsters aside, stomping closer to the Hero and swinging its mace down at him again.

Link was already moving, rolling through the giant armored warrior's legs to spring high into the air on the other side. He plunged the Master Sword into the Darknut's neck at its collar, and it toppled forward, dead before it hit the ground.

He swept the Master Sword in a spin attack, again scattering the monsters that tried to overwhelm him with their numbers. Slashing the legs out from underneath a Bokoblin, Link slammed his shield into the torso of an approaching Lizalfos, knocking it backwards.

The Hero leaped high into the air for an ending blow, and was briefly surprised when he did not land but instead kept going, swooping over the heads of the enemy to turn back toward Kakariko.

Link looked up to see Midna gripping him under the arms, carrying him away from the battle. "What are you doing?" he demanded, still flush with adrenaline.

She smirked down at him. "I'm keeping the Hero's Army from losing its general. Even _you_ can't fight that many monsters at once, you know. That's kind of what the army's for."

Link sobered, nodding as he shifted in Midna's grip. "That's true. I guess I got caught up in the excitement."

Midna laughed. "Yeah, I could see that. Once you get going, you tend to not stop until something's dead."

She swooped low and dropped him right into Epona's saddle, his faithful mount waiting for him at the edge of the field outside the entrance to Kakariko. Midna hovered in place next to him, exaggeratedly flexing her fingers.

"Boy, you're heavy! That armor's probably most of it, but don't make me do that again!" His friend shook her arms, continuing to flex her fingers.

Link cocked an eyebrow, smirking good-naturedly. "What's the word on the troops?" he asked.

Midna gestured skyward. "The _Hawk_ and her escorts are sending troop transports down to the field, so we'd better move out if we want to join them." She pointed at the dead dragon draped over the field in front of the enemy lines. "With that in the way, we should have time to get our division in formation without being charged."

With a rush of wind and a heavy rumble, the _Argent Hawk_ swooped low over the field and dropped a line of bombs right through the front of the enemy formation, pulling up in a graceful turn to come back through and do the same in the opposite direction.

The Twilight Princess chuckled. "That'll help, too."

As _Argent Hawk _turned around to leave the battlefield,several smaller airships flew out of the warship's hangar, headed for the rear part of the field near the Bridge of Eldin. A dozen more joined them from the two smaller warships that had accompanied the capital ship, which followed once their passengers had departed.

Link pulled Epona's reins around to go back into the village. "Let's get ready, then. The sooner we defeat this army, the sooner we can go find Raneses and end this war for good."

* * *

_Falcon's Pride_, the flagship of the Balacruf fleet, dove down through a line of docked Oocca fortresses, firing with all guns at anything moving in the vast complex of the shipyards. It was followed by a single flying man, visible only by the powerful golden glow emanating from his hand, who periodically stopped to loose a massive spherical shockwave that crumpled the fortresses, buildings and enemy soldiers around him.

Raskys watched the scene from the cockpit of his troop transport, flying at the front of a formation of a dozen small bombers a few hundred yards behind the flagship and the Bearer of Power.

The soldier and former ranger shook his head in concern. Arnak was obviously being driven by rage, as the golden spot of light would often speed up and slam right through a docked fortress, sometimes swooping through a group of flying Oocca afterward and decimating them mercilessly. Even though he was fighting on their side, Raskys was again afraid of the power his friend demonstrated. This kind of power and rage could not be a good combination, and Raskys feared that Arnak would simply lose control and start destroying anything in sight.

But, he had other things to worry about. He was tasked with extracting the Sheikah sabotage team, and he commanded the wing of bombers in an attempt to make it through the firestorm to their location, last specified as near the administration complex.

_Falcon's Pride_ provided covering fire and defense against the still-firing guns mounted on the docked flying fortresses and various points around the shipyard complex, soaking up enemy barrages with its thick armor.

The bombers kept Oocca away from the troop transport, their pilots dodging and swerving through the air around Raskys' airship, firing with the cannons mounted in front of their cockpits and arrows wielded by the archers backing up the pilots.

For their part, the Oocca were doing moderately well in their defense of their shipyards, having kept the Balacruf away from the administration complex for the duration of the battle so far. From the precision of their movements, the Oocca were obviously being influenced by a control crystal, and Raskys thought the one wielding it was in the administration complex somewhere.

A distant flash of lightning caught Raskys' eye, and he glanced over at it to see an enormous winged shape swoop around the afterimage. Only when it flapped its wings and loosed a gout of flame did he realize it was a dragon, and a huge one at that.

He whistled. "That thing's got to be the size of a capital ship," he remarked to his copilot, a fellow pilot named Kristoff.

Kristoff, a tall, thin man with dark blond hair, nodded. "I'm glad we don't have to fight it," he replied.

Raskys grinned when another lightning bolt flashed out at the great beast. "I think I know who does, though." He turned his attention to a flare that shot up out of the central complex of spires, pointing at it. "There's our signal. Let's go."

He steered the transport for the flare while Kristoff called for the bombers to cover them, swerving around a formation of heavily armed Oocca. A few of them made for Raskys' transport, but one of the bombers fired into the middle of their formation, scattering them.

Raskys dodged an exploding bomb, twisting the controls to keep their flight stable, and swooped low, gliding under _Falcon's Pride_ to cover his final approach. The flagship continued to bombard the administration complex, ignoring the return fire except when it threatened a propeller or one of the wings.

Squinting, Raskys could barely make out a group of humanoids in dark clothing trading arrows with a pursuing group of Oocca, and he steered for them, telling Kristoff to go back and open the door. He set the ship down between the Sheikah and their pursuers, listening to the enemy arrows bounce off the hull.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Raskys turned to see a red-haired Sheikah agent approaching, garbed in the typical dark-colored uniform with black chain-mail visible through the tears in his tunic. A trail of dried blood ran from one corner of the man's mouth, and he pressed one hand to his ribs, a hint of pain in his expression. He still held his sword in his other hand as he sat down in the chair behind Raskys, nodding to the pilot.

"I thank you for your speed," he said. "Our team attempted to make our way further into the administration complex, but we were surprised by a patrol, and one of them managed to get away to sound the alarm. We had to fight our way to the extraction point."

A woman with close-cropped dark hair sat down by the man, a quiver of arrows strapped across her back. "We're all aboard," she told Raskys. "Lift off."

Only too happy to oblige, Raskys lifted the airship from the ground and pushed it as fast as he dared for the hangar of _Falcon's Pride._ Several more explosions from detonating bombs rocked them on the way, but Raskys' skillful piloting kept them fairly level until one bomb exploded barely a foot away from the rear of the ship and almost flipped them completely over.

Cursing, Raskys wrenched the controls, but the ship was thrown into a barrel roll, and he banged his head on the console as the troop transport rolled over. Kristoff had managed to keep his seat, and the copilot pushed them for _Falcon's Pride_ once they leveled out, diving beneath the protective embrace of the flagship's wing.

One last enemy shot hit them just as they entered the hanger, turning their landing into a controlled crash. With a screech of metal on metal, the troop transport slid across the hangar floor, coming to rest with a deep clang against the far wall. The impact jarred them all from their seats, sending the pilots and passengers sprawling on the floor.

Raskys groaned as he sat up, pressing a hand to the growing lump on his forehead. In the rear compartment of the ship, the Sheikah agents checked each other over, helping one another to their feet.

The pilot felt the great warship turn, pulling up, and heard and felt the discharge of its guns as it bombed the administration complex. Beginning a sharp turn, the _Falcon's Pride_ tilted to one side slightly, presumably heading up and away from the battle for now.

The red-haired Sheikah, presumably the team leader, sheathed his sword finally, allowing the dark-haired archer to check his wound. Another of the agents, a short man with a muscular build and silver hair, helped Kristoff wrench open the door.

Raskys beckoned the agents to follow him as he jumped out of the transport. "Come on, I'll take you down to the infirmary and get your wounds checked out."

A fourth agent, a slender woman with shoulder-length platinum hair, limped out of the transport, and Raskys offered an arm to help.

"Take it easy," he said. "Your job's over."

The agent nodded as he helped her over to the waiting medics.

"Unfortunately," Raskys said to himself, looking out at the chaotic battle through the wide hangar door, "ours isn't."

* * *

Beneath Link, Epona shifted nervously, and he reached down to pat her flank. "It's okay, girl," he said quietly, glancing at the enemy line in front of him.

It had been a little over an hour since Link had defeated the armored dragon, and its corpse served as the dividing line between the two armies gathered on the plain today.

Raneses' army occupied the greater portion of the field, spread in ranks behind the dead dragon, shouting taunts and bestial roars across to the Hero's Army, now bolstered by more than two thousand Balacruf soldiers, armed with swords, bows, and strange-looking contraptions that looked like a cross between a cannon and a crossbow.

Altogether, the Hero's Army was still outnumbered two-to-one, though, as Midna had jokingly remarked, she and Link were probably worth a few hundred each.

What made it funny was that it was probably true. By himself, Link had cleared almost a dozen ruins, fortresses, and dungeons of monsters, surviving to take on legendary monsters and even the first Dark Lord and emerge the victor. Even with only two Fused Shadows at her command, Midna ranked as one of the most powerful magic users in the world. Working together, the Hero and the Twilight Princess made a virtually unstoppable team.

Floating next to him, Midna pointed at movement near the dead dragon's head. "Are they charging?"

Link looked closer, aided by his Hawkeye. "No. It looks like a small group. Look, one of them has a white flag." He removed the Hawkeye, looking over at his friend. "I think they want to talk to us."

Midna chuckled. "Maybe they saw you fight the dragon and want to surrender."

Hearing approaching hoof-beats, Link turned to see Zelda and Majacen riding towards him, accompanied by a Hyrule Soldier bearing the royal family's flag. Majacen gestured at the approaching enemy delegation, and Link spurred Epona over to join their group, drawing his sword. He would tolerate no trickery, not with Zelda nearby. It was supremely dishonorable to slay an enemy commander when discussing terms, but he would put nothing past the Dark Lord's army.

Midna tapped his shoulder, pointing at the enemy delegation. "I didn't know horses came that big!" she exclaimed, indicating a mounted Darknut.

The golden-armored warrior, a long black cloak hanging from his shoulders, sat atop an almost unnaturally massive horse, a huge black charger almost twice the size of Epona. He was flanked by a human warrior on a regular-sized horse who bore the white flag and King Bulblin, whom Link recognized only too well.

Midna scoffed. "It figures he'd take up with these guys. Maybe you can get rid of him once and for all today. He has an annoying habit of turning up again when we beat him."

Link nodded silently as the two groups neared each other, meeting at the tail of the dragon's corpse. The Darknut commander spoke first, in a booming deep voice.

"I am Jotun, Supreme Commander of Lord Raneses' army," he said, his voice deep with a growling undertone and a slight accent. Hylian was obviously not his first language. "I have come to discuss the terms of your surrender. Avoid your slaughter while you still can."

Zelda looked back at the larger being, her expression resolute. "There will be no surrender," she replied. "Hyrule will never again fall into the hands of your kind, and we will never bow before your master."

Jotun regarded her silently for a moment. "Very well then," he said finally. "You will die. Your army is outnumbered, and our soldiers are stronger. Defeat is inevitable."

Midna crossed her arms over her chest, hovering closer to the Darknut and his companions. "I don't think so," she said, gesturing to King Bulblin. "Not with scum like him on your side."

King Bulblin nudged his gigantic boar away from Jotun slightly. He met Link's eyes with his beady red ones, grinning under his helmet. "I follow the strongest side," he said, echoing the last words he had said to the Hero shortly before Ganondorf's defeat.

The tone was one of smug threat, but King's Bulblin's expression belied it, attempting to convey a different message.

Link caught it, successfully hiding his surprise. If he meant what Link thought, the Hero's Army would be getting some unexpected help during the battle.

Jotun gestured to the human next to him, and the dark-haired warrior started back for the enemy formation, lowering the flag.

"We will destroy you," the Darknut stated matter-of-factly. Without another word, he wheeled his gigantic charger around and followed his underling, King Bulblin joining him after one last meaningful look at the Hero.

Link turned around and headed back for the front of his own line, watching Zelda and Majacen return to the rear.

"Give them a volley, then charge whenever you and your troops are ready," the Queen said from the Gossip Stone around the Hero's neck. "I will contact you with any further orders."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Link replied.

He raised the Master Sword over his head, looking back at his troops. "Archers!" he called.

Upon hearing the creaking sound of hundreds of bows being stretched back, Link swept his sword down and forward sharply. "Fire!"

Like a flock of startled birds taking to wing, a great cloud of arrows rose from his formation, headed in a curving arc for the enemy army. In a deadly rain, the arrows fell upon the monsters and toppled hundreds, thinning the enemy numbers.

Link's sharp eyes picked out return fire, a similar cloud of arrows rising out of the enemy ranks. "Shields!" he called, holding his own at the ready.

Those who had them held their shields up over the heads of themselves and those nearby, umbrellas against the lethal rain. Several arrows thudded against Link's raised shield, and behind him, the rest of the arrows plunked off his own army's shields, an occasional scream or grunt sounding as one found its mark.

Link ordered the archers to fire again as their counterparts in Raneses' army did the same. The two clouds met in the middle of the field like two swarms of locusts intersecting with one another before curving down at their respective targets.

The Balacruf commander, a general named Burgoyne, approached the Hero, holding a shield of his own over his head. "Shall we use our rifles?" he shouted over the din of the impacting arrows, gesturing back at one of his soldiers armed with the miniature cannon contraption.

Barely a hundred out of the two thousand soldiers from the nation-for-hire were armed with the rifles, but all of these were on the leading edge of the Hero's Army's formation, just in front of the cavalry.

Link nodded, moving his shield to block an arrow headed for Epona. Burgoyne raised his own sword and shouted to his troops in a language Link did not know. The first fifty dropped to one knee, pressing the stock of their rifles against their shoulders and sighting along the barrel at targets in the enemy formation. The second fifty stood behind them, loading their weapons with slow efficiency. They were obviously still getting used to the process, Link thought.

Burgoyne shouted a word that probably translated as "Fire!" and his troops obeyed. With a deafening blast of sound, the fifty rifles discharged with a flash of light and a cloud of smoke, the acrid stench of gunpowder wafting out along with it.

The results were immediate and impressive. Dozens of monsters at the leading edge of the enemy formation, unable to block the rifle shots, dropped to the ground, puffing into unnatural black smoke.

Burgoyne shouted again, and the second fifty riflemen stepped in front of their comrades and dropped into firing position as the first fifty reloaded. The general shouted the command to fire again, and the stench of gunpowder was renewed as they fired, dropping dozens more monsters.

This was an impressive weapon, Link thought, because there was virtually no defense for it. An entire army equipped with these weapons would be almost unstoppable, unless the opposing force had them, too. The Hero wondered how this would affect combat in the future, watching as the first fifty dropped to one knee to fire again.

Link heard the deep booming voice of Jotun call for his archers to target the riflemen, and he decided this was the time to charge. He called to General Burgoyne to pull his troops out of the way of the cavalry, and the Balacruf commander nodded.

"Swords!" Burgoyne shouted in Hylian. The riflemen slung their rifles across their back and drew swords, retreating behind the line of horses.

Shields held high to block the incoming enemy fire, the cavalry of the Hero's Army steadied themselves on their mounts. Made up of farmers and ranchers on their family work animals, soldiers on their trained mounts, and a few traveling adventurers on their own horses, they were a ragtag bunch, but they were willing and determined.

Once the arrows trickled off, Link drew himself up in the saddle and held the Master Sword high, turning back to face his troops. "For Hyrule! For Zelda!" he shouted back at them.

They roared it back in a chorus of thousands, the native Hyrulians shouting the loudest. _"FOR HYRULE!! FOR ZELDA!!_"

He spurred Epona forward, lowering his sword to point at Raneses' army, and with a thunderous clatter, the Hero's Army followed, shouting fiercely, screaming threats and defiance in half a dozen languages as they brandished their weapons.

Midna flew next to Link for the first dozen yards of the charge, her arms spread wide, but before the Hero reached the waiting enemy line, the Twilight Princess soared high into the air, gripping the Twilight Blade with both hands.

Link drew back his sword, preparing to sweep it down in a deadly arc at his chosen target, a Darknut standing in front of him. Before he reached the enemy soldier, however, an enormous blue-green beam of energy swept out like a lethal searchlight, scouring the first five rows of Raneses' army from the field, disintegrating them instantly.

The enemy thus unbalanced, the Hero and the cavalry slammed into Raneses' army with the force of a hurricane, bowling them over and trampling the monsters beneath their hooves. The first several rows could offer no resistance, and the Hero's Army drove deep into the enemy formation, slashing and hacking at those that escaped their horses' hooves. The infantry followed, engaging those who survived the cavalry charge.

Link led the advance, decimating the enemy numbers in a deadly swath ahead of his troops. Deliberately pulling ahead, the Hero withdrew the Staff of Lightning and held it in his right hand, still wielding the Master Sword with his left.

Spying Auru waiting at the bridge, Link made for his reinforcements, backed up by another five hundred of Viserys' soldiers dropped off by _Argent Hawk_ and its escorts. They were waiting for the right time to charge the rear of the enemy formation, preventing them from fleeing back into the city.

Tensing his legs, Link stood in the stirrups and waited until Epona was close to the makeshift wooden bridge, replacing the one that had been destroyed. Satisfied that his faithful horse would be safely out of the way for the next few minutes, Link hurled himself into a long back-flip out of the saddle, discharging the Staff of Lightning as he twisted in the air.

A long, winding bolt of lightning exploded out of the staff, stabbing into the rear of the enemy formation as he landed. Without pausing, Link sent two more into other thick concentrations of enemies, watching them puff into smoke or sail into the air from the force of the discharge. The thunder from the bolts rolled over the field like a fantastically enormous gong had been hit, striking fear into many on both sides.

Sprinting forward, Link charged on foot into the enemy ranks, trading blows with Raneses' soldiers before blasting them away with the staff. Jumping over a Lizalfos' strike, the Hero buried the Master Sword in its back, leaving it there as he swung the Staff of Lightning like a club, discharging another bolt upon contact with the breastplate of a Darknut. Grabbing hold of the Master Sword again, he cut down a Bokoblin, bashing another Darknut with the staff in the same motion.

Before either of the giant armored warriors had hit the ground, something huge and blue charged right past Link, coming to a halt a few yards away. He made to charge at it, raising his sword, but the Hero paused as he recognized King Bulblin atop his gigantic boar.

The enormous green-skinned warrior snarled fiercely, brandishing his huge axe with one hand. Link aimed the Staff of Lightning at him, briefly expecting an attack, but King Bulblin slammed the axe with incredible force into a Darknut, knocking the giant armored warrior right off its feet.

Grinning broadly, King Bulblin turned back to face Link and raised a horn to his lips, blowing a long, low note, followed by three short, sharp blasts and another long note.

Confirming Link's earlier guess, every Bulblin on the field suddenly stopped attacking the Hero's Army and turned on the other monsters instead, whooping and shrieking as they attacked their former comrades.

The Hero's Army had just gained another three thousand members.

King Bulblin nodded to Link, spurring his mount off to charge into a squad of Lizalfos.

Midna appeared next to Link, slowly hovering down to stand next to him. "How long do you think he's been planning this?" she asked.

Link watched the Bulblin leader smash his way through Raneses' army. "I don't know," he replied. "Maybe even as far back as the last time I fought him."

The Twilight Princess chuckled shortly. "And here I'd pegged him as just another dumb brute. Guess I was wrong." She shrugged, gesturing at the gate to Castle Town. "Well, come on, Mr. Hero. We've got a kingdom to save. Again."

Link looked back to see Auru leading the charge of his division, Epona pacing the older man's horse. Aided by the Icarus Wings, he started for the reinforcements, grinning at his friend. "Let's go."

* * *

Nabooru reached the split plain outside Kakariko Village in time to see the trailing end of an army formation charge up the road leading north. Spurring her horse down the path, she galloped over the wooden bridge and made for the split in the cliff ahead that lead to Kakariko.

The raider modified her plan based on what she had just observed. Link himself would be leading the charge of the army, fighting in the thick of the action for the rest of the battle. It would be nearly impossible to get to him and talk for any length of time now, so she abandoned that course of action.

Instead, she would find the Princess Zelda and explain the Gerudos' situation to her. The Hylians' ruler was said to be fair and good-hearted, and she would likely listen to Nabooru's story.

Reaching into her pocket, Nabooru pulled out her Gossip Stone and called the Matriarch. "Have you talked with Akame, sister?" she asked upon receiving acknowledgment.

"I have," the Matriarch replied. "We are in Castle Town now, sister, and we have met with the leaders of two of the Hylians' divisions. They have promised to spread the word among their troops not to attack the Gerudo. One of them, a man named Rusl, says he met you on the road a short time ago."

Nabooru nodded as she passed through the gates of Kakariko. "I met his division as they passed along the Bridge of Hylia. What are your plans?"

"All the Gerudo in the city are on our side, sister. With their aid, we are destroying the monsters still in the city, and once we are finished, we will help the Hylians hold it. You are headed for the Queen?"

The raider nodded again, then paused. "The King has died?"

"Yesterday," the Matriarch replied. "Extend our condolences to Zelda when you meet her."

Nabooru guided her horse through the canyon village, passing the half-wrecked buildings and scraggly plants without sparing them a second glance. "I will, my lady."

"May we both be successful," the Matriarch said, closing the connection.

The raider put away the stone, pulling back on the reins suddenly when a moving mountain stepped in front of her. It was a Goron, and an exceptionally huge one at that.

The giant rock-man held up a hand. "I am Darbus, patriarch of the Goron tribe," he rumbled. "What business does a Gerudo have here?"

"I need to see Queen Zelda," she replied, hiding her annoyance at being challenged a second time. "It is a matter of utmost urgency."

Darbus narrowed his eyes at her, clenching a fist as he took one step forward in silent warning. "You do not serve the Dark Lord?"

"I swear upon all my mothers before me that I do not," Nabooru said, genuine fire in her tone.

The huge rock-man nodded. "Join us, then. The Gorons go to war!"

Behind him stood over a hundred Gorons, shouting and pumping their arms in the air. Some had stone clubs, but most were unarmed and unarmored, not needing anything other than their fists and tough skin to protect them.

Nabooru gestured toward the gate leading to the battlefield. "Lead the way, then."

* * *

Author's Note: Next, the battle for Hyrule continues, and the Hero and his allies move closer to their confrontation with the Dark Lord. There are six chapters to go, including the epilogue, and I'm working madly to get them all finished. For example, I'm writing Chapter 43 right now, so posting times will be short until the end of the story. Till next time!

(Revision Note: The usual; I fixed a description that had been bugging me for a while, so that's better finally. Thanks for reading!)


	40. The End at Hand

Forty

Kyron, ruler of the Oocca, looked down over the battle between his people and the sky mercenaries led by Viserys. His side was losing, badly. Flying fortresses were being destroyed one after the other, hardly managing to take any Balacruf ships with them, and his people were dying by the hundreds, throwing themselves at the airships and being cut down by the humans aboard them.

It was a disaster, and for the first time since he had struck a deal with the Dark Lord, Kyron began to regret his decision. It was clear to him now that the Oocca were going to lose the war unless Raneses did something drastic. The shipyards, the main base and staging grounds for the entire war effort, were about to be destroyed or captured.

Taking himself away from the control crystal through which he was trying to coordinate the battle, Kyron pulled out the Communication Stone the Dark Lord had given him and tried to contact his ally.

The first three tries elicited no response, but on the fourth attempt, a thin, slightly echoing voice answered.

"My master is busy. He cannot speak with you."

Kyron gestured frantically at the window behind him, showing the battle between his forces and Viserys' airships. "Well, go get him then! This demands his attention!"

"My master has requested that he not be disturbed, Lord Kyron," the shadow creature responded. "I will not disobey him."

"Where is he?" Kyron demanded. "_I'll_ disturb him! We're being slaughtered, and we need his help!"

"My master has sealed himself in his meditation chamber and cannot be contacted until he emerges."

"He's _meditating_?!" Kyron exploded. "At a time like this? Does he care about the war effort at all?"

"I will tell my master you wish to speak with him when I see him," the Dark Lord's servant replied. It cut the connection, causing Kyron to gnash his beak in frustration.

He looked out the window again, shielding his eyes as yet another fortress exploded, rocking the entire complex. Sighing in resignation, Kyron stepped over to his control crystal, knowing what he had to do. The Dark Lord obviously did not care about his people, concerned only with his own schemes.

If the battle continued on like this, the Oocca would have to surrender before they were all destroyed.

* * *

Link slashed down at a Bokoblin, turning even before it fell to trade blows with a Darknut. He ducked under a swing from its massive greatsword and countered by burying the Master Sword in its throat. As he yanked the sacred blade free, the Hero blocked an arrow with his shield, looking around for its source.

The Hero's Army was now fully entangled with the Dark Lord's force, embroiled in a huge free-for-all that spanned most of the field. All around the Hero, humans and Hylians traded blows with monsters and the humans on Raneses' side, the long-haired warriors in intricately engraved armor.

Link had never seen one of these people before, and could not identify them, but they were fighting against him, and that was all that really mattered right now. Questions would have to wait for later.

The Hero was restricted to using his sword and bow only, as the two armies were so intermingled that he could not use the Staff of Lightning or bombs to clear out enemies without also hitting his own troops.

Link heard a low rumble and many deep voices shouting merrily. He turned to see a hundred or more Gorons emerging from Kakariko Village, running and rolling toward the battle. A lone mounted rider was with them at the head of the column, but Link could not identify the warrior at this distance.

So many monsters had been destroyed that a thick, choking cloud of smoke hung over the section where the fighting was heaviest, obscuring the combatants from view. Shouts and screams echoed across the battlefield, punctuated by the clashing of steel and the twang of bowstrings being released.

Link held on as Epona reared up, trampling a Lizalfos beneath her front hooves when the big horse came back down. He lashed out with the Master Sword and cut down the monster's companion, spurring his mount forward.

The sacred blade flashed on both sides as Link cut a path through the fracas, looking for his friends. Midna was easy enough to spot, swooping through the ranks, swinging her blade with deadly accuracy, and toppling monsters with each pass. Auru wielded a spear he had taken from a fallen enemy, tripping monsters and finishing them with decisive stabs, then trampling them with his horse before moving on. Zelda and Majacen both hung back slightly from the main group, surrounded by a group of Hyrule Soldiers that fiercely defended their queen.

Seeing a Darknut about to finish off a fallen human, armed with a short sword and armored only with what looked to be the iron lid of a cauldron, Link charged at the giant armored warrior and leaped from the saddle as he passed it, wrapping his sword arm around its neck.

It turned with violent force, trying to shake him off, but Link drove the edge of his shield into its helmet, eliciting a low clang and causing the armored giant to pause for a fraction of a second. This was all Link needed.

He dropped to the ground and slashed at the straps of the Darknut's breastplate, knocking its shield aside with his own. Link plunged the Master Sword into its side and then kicked the Darknut over, using the leverage from his weapon to unbalance it. He pulled his sword out as the armored warrior toppled, turning to its intended victim.

"Are you all right?" he asked the man.

The fighter nodded, his eyes suddenly widening as he started to point behind the Hero.

Link turned with superhuman speed, slashing his sword out in a wide arc. A surprised Lizalfos, its weapon still raised to attack, toppled to the ground in two pieces, puffing into smoke.

"Thanks," he said, turning back to the human.

The dark-haired man had already engaged a Bokoblin, blocking its blows with his cauldron-lid shield.

Link turned to Epona and whistled sharply, pulling himself up into the saddle as she galloped past him. Looking out over what he could see of the battle, Link still thought it could go either way. The Hero's Army had whittled the enemy force down to numbers roughly equal to its own, but the Dark Lord's army showed no signs of slowing. If anything, the monsters seemed to be fighting even more fiercely now.

A spear suddenly toppled a Lizalfos next to Link, and he turned to see several dozen Zoras climbing up over the edge of the chasm that surrounded the field, yelling in high musical voices as they ran into the fray.

Link grinned widely, pausing for a moment to watch as the Zoras joined the Gorons and the rest of the Hero's Army in attacking the array of monsters spread over the field. The mountain people brought fists of stone down upon Darknuts, eagerly hurling themselves at the strongest enemies, while the aquatic people moved with deadly grace, using their fins as often as their spears to dart through the holes in their enemies' defenses. The humans and Hylians fought with boundless courage and energy, wielding their swords, bows and axes with all the skill they had.

The Hero charged into the thick of the fighting again, determined to turn the tide decisively in his favor.

* * *

Erik was going to die. He knew that now. He could feel his strength slipping away, his body growing weaker as it succumbed to his injuries. Something had been grievously wounded deep inside him, and he knew he was past the point of recovery now.

His head started to droop, and he felt Val shake him gently.

"Hey!" she said. "Stay with me."

Erik groaned as one of his broken ribs dug into his side, pressing against a nerve.

Val squeezed his shoulder. "Just hold on, Erik. Somebody will come, and you'll be just fine."

"Hope…so," Erik managed.

A tear trickled down Val's face, and she swallowed, sighing quietly. "They'll come in time," she whispered. "They'll come."

* * *

Arnak hovered in place, watching the furious battle around him. As he observed the airships and flying fortresses trade fire and destroy each other, he realized he was no longer needed here. Viserys' fleet could handle the rest of the battle on its own, and had no need of his power.

Extending his perceptions, the Bearer of Power sensed his counterparts engaged in an equally fierce conflict a dozen miles away in Hyrule. He started to build up speed, intending to head to their aid, but something else pricked at his senses. Arnak slowly came to a stop over Lake Hylia to focus on it more fully.

It was like the sense he got from Link and Zelda but… different somehow. Fainter, and… darker, he thought.

With a start, the big man realized he was sensing Ganondorf's creation, the Triforce of Shadow. Focusing on it, he realized he could sense it now because its bearer was coming more into tune with its energies.

The Dark Lord was building up his power, and if what Arnak had heard about the Triforce of Shadow was true, this meant Raneses would be able to control the Golden Power split between himself, the Hero, and Princess Zelda.

Speeding forward through the air again, Arnak made for his counterparts as fast as he could, drawing deeply on his piece of the Triforce. The ground flashed past underneath him in a blur, and within seconds, the big man hovered a hundred feet over the clashing armies outside Castle Town, looking for the other two Triforce Bearers.

"Hey!" a joyous, friendly voice said. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Arnak turned to see Midna floating a few feet away, smiling broadly.

"You're just in time to help us," she continued. "With the pounding we've given them, they should be thinking about surrendering, but they aren't. Between you, me, and Link, we should be able to show them the folly of taking on the good guys, eh?"

"Raneses has two of your Fused Shadows, does he not?" Arnak asked without preamble, frowning.

Surprised at the sudden change of subject, Midna paused for a moment before responding. "Yeah, as far as I know. Why?"

"Can you sense him?"

Midna gave him a puzzled look. "What?"

Arnak hovered backwards until he was above a cliff overlooking the field. He set down, waiting until Midna had done the same to respond.

"Can you sense the other two Fused Shadows?" he asked.

The Twilight Princess adopted a thoughtful expression. "I think I know what you're talking about. To answer your question, no, I can't. If he was using them right now, I might be able to, but if they're inactive, there's no way to trace them. They're basically just hunks of metal if nothing's using them."

Arnak nodded slowly. "I will confer with Zelda, then. I believe I have sensed the Dark Lord building his power, drawing on the Triforce of Shadow, and I need to confirm she has done the same."

He turned to go, but Midna grabbed his arm. "Wait, Raneses is actively drawing on the Triforce of Shadow?" Arnak nodded, prompting a frown from the Twilight Princess. "That means he's probably close to controlling it, then."

Arnak gestured vaguely north, the direction of the dark presence. "That is what I thought. We need to confront the Dark Lord now, before he becomes able to control our powers. If he gains this ability, both battles being fought today are forfeit."

Midna nodded. "The army can take care of itself for now. This is a much greater threat." She clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's go get Link and Zelda, then."

* * *

Ashei sat against a stone crenelation on the top of the outer wall of Castle Town, her eyes closed as she listened to the thunderous racket of the battle outside the city.

"Nervous?" a lightly accented voice asked next to her.

The warrior shook her head, leaving her eyes closed. "Just waiting."

The voice chuckled shortly. "I didn't think the Hylians let their women fight. It's good to know they're not complete fools."

Ashei opened her eyes, looking over at the Gerudo warrior. "I'm something of a special case, yeah? Not too many out there like me."

The Gerudo glanced down at her scimitar, running a whetstone down the edge of the blade. "We are all warriors. Those who cannot fight do not survive long in the desert."

Ashei smiled minutely. "Reminds me of my father's attitude. He thought the arts of war should be taught to all. When my mother objected to him teaching me how to use a sword, he just frowned and told her that he didn't see any point in letting his skills go untaught just because he didn't have any sons."

The desert warrior smiled. "A smart man, your father. He would have been accepted among us."

Ashei raised one eyebrow. "Really? Why do you say that?"

The Gerudo sheathed her scimitar, looking back in the direction of the desert. "Just because we are forced to look for mates outside our society does not mean we will take any man who wanders into the desert. He must have the proper qualities for siring a Gerudo warrior. Though the upbringing of our children is primarily the responsibility of their mother, the father has a role if he chooses. He is permitted to teach his daughter of his side of her heritage if the mother allows it."

"Sounds a little harsh," Ashei said. "Though that would explain why your people are said to be so tough. Have to adapt to where you live, yeah?"

The desert warrior nodded. "The desert does not tolerate weakness." She turned to Ashei. "Which part of Hyrule are you from?"

"Well," Ashei replied, "if you want to be technical about it, I'm not from Hyrule proper. After being asked to leave the Hyrule Army for his somewhat… unorthodox views, my father went off to live in the northern mountains, and that's where he raised me."

"Ah," the Gerudo said, a hint of newfound respect in her tone. "Hyrule's northern mountain range is nearly as inhospitable as the desert. You must be strong indeed to survive childhood there."

Ashei shrugged. "I suppose." Turning to look over the wall, she cocked an ear toward the battle again. "It's still pretty noisy out there. Raneses' army may try to retreat inside the city if Link gives them enough of a beating, so stay ready."

The desert warrior patted the bow and quiver of arrows sitting beside her. "If they attempt to retreat, sister, we will show them there is no escape for those who follow the Dark Lord. They are just as guilty as he."

Ashei knew enough about Gerudo culture to recognize the significance of how this warrior had just addressed her. Extending her arm, she met the other warrior's eyes. "Swift death to our enemies, sister."

Nodding, the desert warrior clasped her forearm. "And long life to our warriors."

The two women returned their attention to the battle beyond the moat, waiting for it to come to them.

* * *

Zelda nodded as the Gerudo warrior Nabooru finished speaking, forced to shout over the din of battle.

"I will tell our commanders to relay this to the troops," she replied. "I welcome the support of your people."

The raider patted the scimitar at her side. "I am only too happy to help you resist the Dark Lord like my namesake did for your predecessor."

"She was an impressive woman," Majacen said. "You are much like her in many respects."

Zelda turned her attention back to the battle as Nabooru asked Majacen what he meant. At first, she thought she saw a Darknut that had turned on its fellows, but as she looked closer, she realized it was Arnak, plowing his way through the battle toward her with his greatsword, followed by Link and Midna.

Midna flew over and hovered in place next to Zelda, sheathing her sword. "We've got to go," she said, gesturing back at Arnak.

With a final swing of his weapon, Arnak dispatched a group of Lizalfos attempting to crowd him and jogged over to where Zelda, Majacen and Nabooru waited atop their horses. Link joined them after turning around to fire a last arrow at an enemy.

Quickly, Arnak explained what he had sensed through his Triforce, and Zelda extended her own perceptions as he did so, confirming it herself. Raneses was definitely growing stronger with the aid of his ancestor's creation.

"So, what do we do?" Link said. "Can the three of us leave the battle?"

"Four of us," Midna corrected. "He's still got two of my Fused Shadows, and I intend to get them back. Besides, if he manages to get the Triforce of Shadow completely under his control, it won't matter where the Triforce Bearers are. It's better if we go take him out while he's still working on it."

"Five," Nabooru said. "If you are going to kill the Dark Lord, I am going with you." It was not a request.

Majacen tugged on his long beard as he looked out at the battle. "You do not have a choice. The Dark Lord must be destroyed now. You will have to leave the battle to the soldiers. I will do my best to aid them, but the final outcome is largely in your hands. If you defeat Raneses, we will win the day. If you fail…" He trailed off, looking over at them meaningfully.

Midna set down and waved the others over. "Come on, we don't need horses where we're going. I can take us right to the place Link and the Sheikah teleported to last time."

Zelda and Nabooru dismounted and walked over to where Midna waited, joined by Arnak, but Link paused next to his horse and whispered something in her ear. Epona nudged him with her head, and he patted her shoulder.

"Go on," he said gently. "Go home."

The red-brown mare shook her mane and turned to gallop off for Kakariko, most likely bound for Ordon, Zelda thought.

The Three Bearers and Nabooru gathered around Midna, and she spread her arms. The five of them broke into black squares and disappeared, bound for a final confrontation with the Dark Lord.

* * *

They re-formed in a long, dimly lit stone hallway. Nabooru immediately drew her scimitar, on the lookout for threats. She suspected they had only a short time before Raneses discovered they were there, and they would have to fight their way to him.

Link drew the Master Sword, the others following suit with their own weapons, and he took a few steps in front of them, turning around to face the group.

"Last time I was here," he began, "there were several traps and magic sensors. Your Majesty, if you would please warn us of these, Arnak and I will watch for conventional booby traps. Midna, you and Nabooru watch for guards. Keep a lookout for Erik and Val, too. They're probably in one of these cells."

The others nodded, and they set off down the hallway, moving as silently as they could. The Hero twisted something on his belt, and his red-and-gold armor was magically replaced by a green tunic with a chain-mail underlay, the clothes Nabooru had first seen him in. Similarly, the Twilight Princess exchanged her own rattling armor for a more silent flowing black robe and skirt.

Periodically, Zelda would call a halt as she looked at something only she could see, gesturing around it to show them the way to avoid the magic sensor. Three times in ten minutes, Link threw his arm out to stop the rest of them as he gingerly stepped forward and either disarmed or avoided a booby trap.

It was Arnak who first heard the noise, cocking his head to one side. Moments later, the others heard it, a quiet sound that Nabooru thought might have been sobbing, but she wasn't sure.

Arnak moved forward slowly, his sword held at the ready, but he lowered it as soon as he stepped in front of a cell a few paces ahead. His expression grim, he waved the others over.

When Nabooru reached the cell, she saw inside it a man and a woman, the man looking dead or close to it and the woman cradling his head in her lap. The man she recognized as one of the Sheikah warriors who had been with Link when she first met him, but she did not know the woman.

However, Link did seem to know her, and he stepped in front of the door to the cell and spoke to her. "How is he, Val?"

Val shook her head silently, deep sadness and frustration written on her face.

Zelda stepped in front of the door to the cell and announced that there were no sensors on the door itself, but there was some kind of suppressing effect on the cell that prevented the use of magic within.

Link sheathed his sword and made to examine the lock, but Arnak reached past him and wrenched the door open with a quick flex of his arm. Nodding his thanks, Link stepped inside and waved Zelda over to look at Erik.

Zelda needed only one look at the Sheikah warrior, touching his neck before closing her eyes and shaking her head, exhaling sadly.

A ripple of surprise and sadness spread through the others as they realized their comrade was gone, and Nabooru bowed her head, showing respect for the departed.

The Hero's expression was coldly neutral, anger and sadness visible in his eyes. "How long?" he asked.

Val sighed deeply. "Maybe half an hour. I don't… I don't really know." In Nabooru's eyes, she seemed tired, worn-out from guilt and grief, her voice quiet and sad.

The muscles in Link's jaw worked, and he turned and placed a hand on the stone wall behind him, closing his eyes. "So," he said after a long, silent moment. "Was your master pleased?"

Val looked up from Erik's body, confused. "W-what?"

Link rounded on her angrily. "The Dark Lord! You helped him do this, didn't you?" he demanded. "Since he couldn't get me, you made sure he killed someone, didn't you? To appease his anger?"

The woman's mouth opened, confusion mixing with the pain on her face. "I…I-"

"You what? What?" Link demanded. "Why did my friend die, Val? Was it because of you?" His voice cracked slightly at the end, and he clenched his teeth, his hands balling into fists.

Indignation replaced the pain on Val's face, but it quickly faded, replaced with resignation. "Yes, it was because of me," she said quietly. "But I don't serve the Dark Lord."

"Then who do you serve?" Arnak rumbled, his tone dark and vaguely threatening. He still held his greatsword in one hand, hanging at his side.

"I serve the Goddesses," Val replied. "I am meant to aid the Triforce Bearers, the Bearer of Courage especially."

"What?" Link demanded darkly, clearly not believing her.

"Each bearer of the Triforce is meant to have an advisor, someone to help them understand how to use their piece of the Golden Power," Val said, still looking sadly down at Erik. "Do you know a wizard named Majacen?"

Link nodded an affirmative, his eyes still narrowed suspiciously.

"He and I are the same kind of being. We were once mortals, but we've been given power by the Goddesses so that we can help the mortal realm. He takes a wider role, but I am meant to help the Triforce Bearers specifically." Val looked up at Link, tears forming in her eyes. "I thought I knew more than I did, and this happened because I was too confident in my own powers."

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked gently.

Val took a deep breath before replying. "I was only chosen not quite two years ago, when my predecessor was killed. My training wasn't finished yet, but they let me go because they said you needed me now." She scoffed bitterly, looking down at Erik again. "You were better off without me."

Nabooru looked around at those gathered in the cell, not understanding or not believing most of what was being said. She turned to watch for guards, still listening to the conversation behind her.

Link sighed, blowing air out through his teeth. "I don't know if I believe you or not. You could be telling the truth."

"Or she could be a really good actor," Midna put in. "I say we leave her here. You call Viktor and tell him to go to Faron Spring." She paused for a moment. "I'll send Erik there before we move on," she added somberly.

"W-wait!" Val said, desperation in her tone. "You can't leave me here! I meant to help you, really!"

"Yeah, you 'helped' real good," Midna said coldly. "I'm sure Erik appreciates it."

"Midna!" Zelda said sharply. "She is telling the truth. I sensed no deception from her. We cannot leave her here."

Nabooru glanced back to see Midna drum her fingers against the pommel of the sword at her side.

"All right," she said. "But I still don't trust her."

Val nodded sadly, abject sorrow on her face. Nabooru was struck by her expression, too sincere to be an act.

"So, what do we do?" Arnak asked. "We cannot linger here. I do not mean to be callous, but we have a mission, and it must be carried out. The Dark Lord grows stronger with every passing minute." He looked down at the body of their friend, his face grave. "We cannot afford to stop to mourn this latest of his victims." When he looked back up, Arnak's eyes were fiery with slowly building rage. "There will be time enough for that when we destroy him," he said, his voice heavily laced with anger and determination.

Midna crossed her arms over her chest. "We'll send the two of them back to Hyrule and keep going. Hopefully, Raneses won't see us coming and we can surprise him."

Val looked up at her. "Let me come with you. I can-"

Midna cut her off with a curt wave of her hand. "I don't think so," she said, gesturing for Val to leave the cell. "Move it."

Val silently picked up Erik's body and slowly walked out into the hallway. As soon as she was clear of the door and the suppressing field, Midna gestured at her and sent her and Erik away in a stream of black squares.

"You didn't have to be so harsh," Link said reprovingly. "She already felt bad enough."

Midna scoffed. "You might have bought her little act, Link, but I didn't. Would you prefer to find out her true loyalties when she sinks a knife in your back?"

Link simply frowned at her and headed off down the hallway without another word. Zelda gave the Twilight Princess a similar disapproving look before following him. Arnak said nothing, his expression betraying none of his thoughts on the matter.

"Oh, you're both too softhearted for your own good," Midna said after them, drawing her sword as she walked past Nabooru.

The raider also said nothing, silently bringing up the rear as they moved deeper into the Dark Lord's fortress.

* * *

Rusl walked slowly behind the row of archers arrayed along the inner wall surrounding Hyrule Castle, Colin a few steps behind. The boy kept looking over at the towering palace behind, its beauty unrivaled by any other structure the former soldier had ever seen.

"So, you used to live here?" Colin asked, his tone awed. He had never seen the castle up close before.

Rusl smiled down at his son, patting him on the back. "I did, when I was in the army. I served all over the castle, but for the last few years I was a throne room guard. Once the battle is over, I'll take you inside and you can see it."

"Really?"

Rusl smiled again at the eagerness in the boy's face. "Really."

His smile faded as he looked out at the city, still sporting the damage it had taken in the siege that captured it. Several buildings were nothing more than rubble, and many more would require at least partial reconstruction.

They would win this battle; Rusl was certain of it. With all three Triforce Bearers on their side, how could they not?

He next turned his attention to the great cloud of smoke that hung over the city to the east, residue from the thousands of monsters that had been destroyed today. Still more kept fighting, as evidenced from the clatter and clash of steel echoing in from the eastern field, mixed with screams and shouted orders. It was an unnerving sound when one was not part of it, and more than one of the defenders on the wall shifted restlessly.

Many of them wanted to go out and fight alongside their comrades, and Rusl shared this sentiment, but their task was no less important. If the Hero's Army turned the tide in their favor and the monsters attempted to flee into the city, Rusl and his troops would make sure none of them made it to the castle, assuming any got past Ashei and Ivan's troops.

But, in the meantime, they were forced to wait.

* * *

Link stretched his bow back, closing one eye as he lined up his target. He released his arrow, and the piggish guard dropped, dead before it could make a sound.

Midna kicked the body as they moved over to it. "I've never seen these things before. What are they?"

"Moblins," Zelda said tersely. It was the first thing she had said to Midna since they had left the dungeons.

Link had remained equally silent. He understood Midna's point of view, but he still disapproved of how harshly she had spoken to Val. He did not blame her for Erik's death.

Instead, he knew that responsibility rested solely with Raneses, yet another reason to remove the Dark Lord from power as soon as possible. Link's quest against the Dark Lord had been personal from the time Raneses had kidnapped his mother, but now it was a quest for vengeance. The Hero would avenge his friend and all the other thousands the Dark Lord had murdered during his conquest. He had to.

The five of them stood at an intersection, where three hallways branched off in different directions. So far, their team had avoided detection, eliminating or avoiding the guards making their rounds through the oppressively dark and cold stone halls. According to Zelda, they were drawing close to the Dark Lord's tower, and their group grew more and more tense as they came closer to their goal. The entire war hinged on their actions in the next few hours, and all of them knew what would happen if they failed.

Arnak had been completely silent since the dungeons, his demeanor growing progressively more angry as they neared the Dark Lord. Link knew his wife and village had been killed by Raneses' army almost a year ago, and now the big man was close to achieving his own goal of vengeance, nurtured since that terrible day. Arnak's wrath could be terrible when it was sufficiently roused, and Link knew this would be an asset against Raneses. Anger could give powerful strength when it was properly directed.

Zelda closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating, and pointed at the center passage. "That way," she said. "We must hurry; I believe he is close to completion."

The team picked up their pace, their sense of urgency renewed.

* * *

The Dark Lord Raneses opened his eyes, his meditation disturbed.

Ganondorf stood in front of him, his arms crossed over his immaterial chest. "There is a problem," he said, his expression serious. "The process can be completed later."

"What is it?" Raneses asked as he got to his feet.

"The Triforce Bearers are here to confront you," Ganondorf said, one corner of his mouth quirked in dark amusement. "You are more than powerful enough to stop them. Once you have taken them captive, you will be able to control their Triforces with greater ease."

"I should not kill them?" Raneses asked, buckling on his sword belt.

Ganondorf frowned. "Of course not! If you do, their Triforces will pass to new bearers, and you will have to waste time hunting them down. I had thought that would be obvious."

Raneses fought down the irate comeback that sprang to mind, nodding respectfully instead. "Of course, honored ancestor."

The first Dark Lord looked down through the many layers of stone between them and their enemies. "They will be here soon. Are the rest of your traps prepared?"

Raneses smiled malevolently. "They are. They will be completely unprepared."

Ganondorf raised a skeptical eyebrow, but otherwise remained silent.

* * *

"There it is," said Link.

At the top of a massive stone stairway inscribed with sharp twisted lines, an enormous double door of black wood banded with steel stretched across the entire stairway, seeming to loom over them.

"He is inside," said Zelda. "Is everyone ready?"

Midna fixed the door with a puzzled look, summoning her armor as she did so. "Wasn't he up in a tower a few minutes ago?"

"He was," Zelda replied, "but he moved to this, what I suspect to be a throne room, about ten minutes ago."

Midna rolled her eyes. "The Dark Lord is waiting for us in his throne room. My, how original."

Arnak was already ascending the steps, his greatsword gripped in both hands. His expression was determined and deadly serious, and he was silent as he paused before the door to let the rest of them catch up.

Once the others were standing behind him, the Bearer of Power lashed out with one boot and kicked the doors in, sending them back to slam against the wall on either side of the entryway. He stalked inside, forcing the others to quicken their pace to stay with him.

Midna looked around at the cavernous throne room as they made their way inside. It was decorated only with an array of weapons arranged on walls lined in dark stones of varying shades of gray and black, the ceiling reaching far over their heads to vanish in blackness. Their footsteps echoed as they strode across the polished floor, which, Midna saw as she looked down, featured a huge mosaic of the Triforce symbol in black, the point facing the door they had entered. Gerudo sigils swirled about it in dark red and gray, drawing attention to the symbol in the empty center of the Triforce: Ganondorf's personal sigil.

At the rear of the room, a throne of dark gray stone with black and red veins swirling through it sat atop a platform of several steps. On this throne sat an enormous man shrouded in a black cloak, his hood up and only his glowing yellow eyes showing beneath it. His cloak was open, and his hands rested on a sword that lay across his knees, a jet-black twin of the Master Sword with a blood-red gem set into the hilt.

The Dark Lord Raneses remained motionless on his throne, only his glowing eyes moving as he looked from person to person in their group. "You have come to confront me, then?" he said, his deep voice echoing slightly from the cavernous walls around them.

Link stepped forward, the Master Sword in his hand. "We have. You will answer for all the death you have caused."

"Your Sheikah friend succumbed to his wounds, did he?" Raneses said, standing. His long black cloak slipped forward to cover him completely, but for the tip of his sword poking out near the bottom. "A pity. He fought most valiantly, as you will no doubt attempt to do."

He turned to look at Nabooru, standing next to Midna with her scimitar in hand. "You have come to resist me, too, have you? To oppose your king is to break the most sacred tradition of our people."

"You are _not_ my king, and you are _not_ of my people," Nabooru snapped. "You lost any connection to the Gerudo you might have had when you ordered my sisters to their deaths against the Hero."

"I take it they have similarly rebelled?" the Dark Lord inquired, his tone nonchalant. "They will be dealt with, then." He chuckled lightly, gesturing at the raider with one hand. "I am beginning to think those bearing your name are inclined to resist their rightful king."

Nabooru simply raised her scimitar in reply, glaring up at him with unmasked hate and derision.

"You are no longer deserving of life," said Arnak, raising his sword into a guard position. "Today we will take it from you, as you have taken it from so many."

"Will you?" Raneses said amusedly. He spread his hands, gesturing at them with his sword. "Very well. Take my life, if you can."

With that, he leaped down the stairs of his throne in one long bound, his heavy black cloak flaring out like a demon's wings as he swung his blade in a powerful strike to meet his foes.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks again goes to Seldavia and Cloudrunner Sparty for their help with this chapter. I want to make sure the story is in top form for the finale, and their input is definitely helping me achieve that goal. Next, the Hero and his allies confront the Dark Lord, and Ganondorf springs his own trap. Thanks for reading, everybody! Chapter 41 will be up soon.

(Revision Note: I fixed a few descriptions and added a bit, improving the flow.)


	41. Darkness

Forty-One

With a heavy impact, the Dark Lord landed in the midst of their group and swept his blade out in a spin attack, forcing them to leap backwards to avoid it. Only Arnak stood his ground, halting Raneses' blade on his own.

The Dark Lord whirled his sword around and down, but Arnak moved his sword to block it one-handed, lashing out at Raneses' head with his other hand. Raneses ducked, snaking his foot around the Bearer of Power's ankle, but Arnak shifted his weight to his other foot and kicked the Dark Lord in the knee.

Raneses ignored this and moved his blade back to block a strike by Link, spinning around to shove the Hero backwards with a telekinetic push. Within the space of a second, Zelda, Midna and Nabooru struck as one, and he alternately ducked under, blocked, and ignored their blows, catching the raider's scimitar on his gauntlet.

The five of them moved in on him again, slashing and thrusting, and he leaped straight up to avoid them, turning his leap into a long flip to land just in front of the huge black Triforce on the floor.

Link was the first to reach him, and the two exchanged blows for a moment before the Hero thrust his shield forward, moving under the Dark Lord's blade to hit him in the chest. The instant he paused was enough for the Hero to launch himself into a flip over Raneses' head, swinging down with his sword. Raneses recovered in the middle of the flip, moving his head aside as he lashed out with his own blade.

He caught Link on the leg and the Hero landed heavily on the floor behind him, his breath leaving him in a great rush. Raneses spun to avoid a thrust from Zelda's rapier, his long cloak swirling out to obscure his actual position for just a moment. He took advantage of this to swing for her head, but Midna's blade appeared in front of his strike. The Dark Lord swung his boot around in a kick at her back, but she nimbly leaped over it and came down in a spinning slash he was forced to step back to avoid.

He was met by Arnak's sword, and the Dark Lord blocked the strike with his own blade, ducking under another punch fueled by the big man's Triforce to push himself forward, hovering parallel to the floor for a few yards before dropping to his feet again.

The five of them rushed Raneses again, trying to overwhelm him with their numbers. He stood in the center of the bottom triangle of the Triforce mosaic on the floor, its point facing the door. Once all five of his opponents were in the empty triangle in the center, the Dark Lord held his empty hand out, palm-downwards, and made a pushing motion towards the floor.

The floor dropped away beneath them, and an unseen hand yanked them into a cold black abyss.

* * *

Link awoke to the feel of sunlight on his face, the scent of wet leaves greeting him next. It had rained last night, he remembered, and the thunderstorm had crashed and boomed until nearly midnight.

The young man opened his eyes and lay in his bed for a moment, looking up at the wood panels above his head, a bit of vine twining its way across them. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes again as he picked up the aroma of someone baking a pie out in the village. It was probably Uli; Colin's mother usually made pumpkin pie nearly every day this time of year. She had to, to keep up with the demand. Everyone in the village enjoyed a good slice of pumpkin pie after dinner following a long day's work.

"Hey, Big Brother! You going to sleep all day?" came a voice next to his head.

Link opened his eyes to see another pair as blue as his own looking back at him. He blinked with exaggerated slowness, moving as if to roll over to face the wall.

A small hand grabbed his shoulder and shook it indignantly. "Hey! You promised to take me an' Rickard fishing today, Link! You sleep much later and Colin will catch 'em all!"

Link grinned as he sat up and looked over at his sister. "All right, Your Highness," he said, making a play on their mother's pet name for his youngest sister, "I'll be right down. "Toss me my shirt there, will you?"

She stepped away from his bed and bent over, disappearing from his view. "Mom gets mad when you don't pick up your clothes, you know. You're almost nineteen years old, Link. You shouldn't make your mother climb all these ladders to fetch your laundry."

He laughed. "You sound just like her when you say that, Leah."

A shirt flew up over the side of the bed and landed, with perfect aim, over the young ranch-hand's head.

"Becca's the one who's turning into Mom," his sister laughed. "She's a spare if we ever lose the original."

Link pulled the shirt on and swung his legs out of bed, looking for his sandals. One of them bounced off his chest, his younger sister innocently offering the other as if she had not thrown the first.

He reached out and ruffled her dark blonde hair, the other characteristic most of the Fenris children had inherited from their father. Leah stuck her tongue out at him, scampering away to scurry down the ladder that led up to the platform at the top of the house that was Link's bedroom. He heard the door slam a moment later, followed by his mother's shouted admonition not to do so.

The young ranch-hand chuckled as he pulled on his sandals, running a hand through his hair in a halfhearted attempt to straighten it. Becca would no doubt remind him of its resemblance to an animal's nest at some point today, at which point he would grin and ruffle it up more. It never failed to make her give him a good-natured disapproving look, infinitely amusing because of its resemblance to their mother's oft-used expression.

As Link slid down the ladder, stopping at the landing where the shelf containing the family's book collection, he stretched his neck. It was still sore from when one of the goats, frightened by the sudden thunderstorm, knocked him from Epona's saddle with a blind charge yesterday evening. Silly creature.

His mother Nomi stood at the sink below, cleaning the dishes from that morning's meal. She glanced up as his sandals hit the wood floor with a loud slap after he jumped from the landing.

Link affected a mock-hurt expression. "Had breakfast without me, huh?"

She indicated a cloth-wrapped bundle on the table next to her with her elbow. "Just your father and me. You'd better get going before Leah comes back in here and wonders why you're not ready yet. Your brother's already down at the creek with Colin."

Link snatched up the meal she'd packed, leaning over to kiss his mother's cheek before moving to collect his fishing pole from where it leaned against the wall near the door. "Thanks, Mom!" he called over his shoulder as he went outside.

He stopped for a moment just in front of the ladder that led to the ground at the edge of their house's wooden porch, sighing contentedly. Days off came few and far between for the young ranch-hand, and he invariably had to spend them in the company of his younger siblings and the rest of the village children.

Oh, well. It wasn't so bad. At least he didn't have to fight any monsters today.

Link frowned momentarily. Monsters? He never had to fight anything; in fact, his study of the sword was viewed as a youthful indulgence in the sleepy mountain village. The most dangerous things around here were ornery goats.

The odd thought forgotten, Link moved off for the creek where his brother and sister waited, his fishing pole leaning against his shoulder and the food their mother had packed dangling from his other hand.

Another peaceful day in Ordon.

* * *

"Father, Tomas threw a worm at me!" said a small girl's voice.

"I did not!" replied an indignant little boy, his voice muffled by a window. "I threw it at the tree behind you. There's a difference!"

A small hand shook Arnak's arm, and he opened one eye to look over at his daughter, standing with her hands on her hips in the way her mother always did when she was annoyed.

"Isn't it a little early for you two to be throwing things at each other?" he asked, looking past his daughter to the window. It was still mostly dark outside, the sun still coming up over the mountains. Its rays framed a small boy pressing his face to the glass, scratching his dark hair with one hand.

"Kira!" a sharp voice said from the doorway, causing Arnak's daughter to jump guiltily and his son to grin. "Did you come in here and wake your father up?"

He sat up, stretching his arms. "It's all right, Mara," Arnak said, yawning. "I was going to get up soon anyway.

His wife flicked a lock of red hair behind her ear, putting her hands on her hips with a mild reproving look at their daughter. "If your brother throws another worm at you, you just throw one right back."

Kira wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Eww! I'm not touching any nasty worms!"

Her brother chuckled from outside, still pressing his face against the glass. "That's what _you_ think."

Mara pointed a finger at him through the window. "Stop throwing things at your sister, Tomas. Unless you want _me_ to throw something at _you_."

"Yeah!" Kira chimed in, imitating the pose.

Laughing, Tomas stepped away from the window, his sister dashing out of her parents' bedroom to chase after him. Arnak laughed, smiling at his children.

Mara leaned in for a kiss, and he obliged, tossing aside the blankets as she stepped back to hand him a shirt and pants.

"What do you want to do today?" she asked, smiling up at him as he stood, putting one leg into his pants.

Arnak buttoned his trousers, reaching for his shirt. "Spend the day with you and the children," he replied. "I thought we might walk up to the lake for lunch."

"Should I invite my sister? I'm sure she'd like to go." Mara buttoned his top button for him, reaching up to pat his cheek. "You need to shave again. Getting a little scratchy."

Arnak ran a hand along his chin, feeling the stubble there he'd grown on his last hunting trip. He frowned momentarily. Hadn't he grown a beard?

No, he thought, looking down at his wife. Mara thought he looked better without one, and he'd never had a beard since they'd been married. He shaved regularly, and in fact, she occasionally did it for him, something he always looked forward to.

"Go ahead and invite her," he said, looking out of the window at his playing children. "She'll enjoy spending time with her niece and nephew." He chuckled. "Assuming Tomas doesn't try to use his bait to catch her instead."

Mara moved in front of him to look out at the children. "Oh, is he chasing his sister _again_?" She opened the window to call to her son. "Tomas, if you don't want to eat that worm, you put it back where you found it!"

She cocked a wry eyebrow at Arnak as she turned to look at him. "He gets that from you."

"No," he said, embracing her from behind and kissing the top of her head. "Both of them get all their rambunctiousness solely from their mother."

Mara turned her head to look up at him, smiling. "All of it?"

Arnak smiled back. "Well, maybe not all of it."

At boyish laughing and a girlish shriek from outside, Mara sighed amusedly. "Arnak, go control your son."

He leaned down to kiss her cheek before moving off through his house, shaking his head as he opened the door to find his children throwing dirt clods at each other.

A stray clump of earth hit Arnak in the chest, and he grinned at seeing Kira's astonished expression. He stooped to pick up his own missile, chuckling as his children fled laughing around the side of the house.

Arnak ran after them, laughing himself.

* * *

The Dark Lord Raneses opened his eyes, marveling at the sheer _power_ flowing through him. He floated more than six feet off the floor, his limbs spread wide as energy crackled around him, an invisible wind swirling and rippling his cloak. He laughed wildly, throwing his head back to shout his triumph to the heavens. He had never felt this powerful in his entire life, and he knew now that nothing, not even the gods themselves, could stand in his way. He would spread his conquest to the domain of the divine, and overthrow the Three to take their place. All creation would be his to rule for eternity!

As he came back down to the ground, Raneses looked down to see Ganondorf, in his immaterial form, standing next to the Dark Lord's throne. Raneses grinned maliciously. First, he would start with removing a thorn in his side.

"Do you know," he said conversationally to his ancestor, "that I once held you in the highest regard?" He nodded with false sincerity. "It's true. I never knew my father's name; my mother said I should look to you as an example after which to mold myself. Eagerly, I obeyed. I studied you, read anything of you I could find, and I decided that I, too, would pursue the path of conquest."

Raneses spread his hands to indicate the room around him. "I have surpassed you. Everything you ever did, I have done better. You conquered Hyrule; I have conquered the world, and will next move on to the others. Termina and the Twilight Realm will bow before me next, and then I will destroy the Three Goddesses to take their place. You cannot hope to match this achievement, can you?" He spread a sneer across his face, for the first time fully showing the contempt in which he held Ganondorf. "Once I actually met you, I quickly learned why you failed so many times, why time after time, you were overthrown by those weaklings that call themselves Heroes. I cannot believe that fool goat-herder actually managed to best you in a duel."

He took a step towards the apparition, pointing a finger at him. "It only shows your unworthiness, Ganondorf," he said, addressing the first Dark Lord by name for the first time. "Now, it is time for me to take your life and make the title you gave yourself fully mine." Raneses grinned a predatory grin, showing his teeth in a mockery of a smile. "Now, 'honored ancestor', it is time for you to return to history, where you belong."

Raneses spread out tendrils of his power to seize his ancestor's manifestation, but Ganondorf eluded his grasp, stepping forward silently to sneer back at him.

"The _arrogance_," the first Dark Lord said. "You believe yourself worthy to do all the things you have said, when in reality you are unfit to rule yourself."

Raneses tried again to seize Ganondorf with his powers, but the apparition continued, as if entirely unconcerned he was doing so.

"You are a foolish man, Raneses. You only wish power for its own sake, and you care nothing for anything other than yourself. Your goals are only those which will let you gain greater power, and nothing else." Ganondorf leaned in slightly, as if he were a teacher asking a particularly dim student a simple question. "Tell me, what will you do with the world once you have conquered it?"

Raneses snarled, hurling a red stream of energy out of his hands at the apparition. The first Dark Lord completely ignored it, and it passed through him to blast a chunk out of the wall.

Ganondorf calmly raised one hand to point at the ceiling, two fingers indicating the fortress around them. "Have you not wondered why I did not move beyond Hyrule when I ruled it? For seven years, I could have pursued the same course as you. I was perfectly aware of the Oocca; I could have done the same as you and brought the entire world under my dominion in those seven years, leaving Hyrule to fend for itself."

He strode a few steps down the throne's platform and gestured at the Triforce mosaic on the floor, still ignoring his descendant's frenzied attempts to seize him with his dark power. "I have attempted to teach you, but I have also learned from you, I suppose." Ganondorf looked back up at Raneses. "I was once like you; pursuing power for its own sake. Even a year ago, when I attempted to seize Hyrule once again, I was still in the grip of my own power, convinced everything I did was justified by the fact that I was the most powerful being in existence next to the gods."

Ganondorf whirled, pointing an accusatory finger at Raneses with a venomous glare on his face. "But I _never_ thought I deserved to take their place. Power has its limits, Raneses. If you think to replace the Golden Goddesses, then you are even more ignorant than I had thought you to be."

The first Dark Lord slowly ascended the steps of the throne again, and Raneses felt a distinct weakening of his powers as he did so. "You are only the poorest shadow of me, even with all your supposed power. I suppose it is… fortunate that I encountered you when I did, learned from your example. I might have become like you eventually, a mad dictator bent on subduing all of creation. My goals were never so lofty, fortunately."

Was it Raneses' imagination, or was Ganondorf growing more solid? Even now, he was noticeably less transparent than he had been a few moments ago. Raneses tried to erect an energy barrier around Ganondorf, but the first Dark Lord knocked it aside with a contemptuous wave of his arm. Raneses distinctly felt power flowing out of him now, draining into Ganondorf.

He gestured at Raneses, growing more solid with each passing second. Ganondorf's tone now grew derisive and angry. "It was your utter disregard for the people that had birthed you that sealed your fate, 'Dark Lord' Raneses. Even in all I have done, my goal has always been to give my sisters and daughters the land of Hyrule by whatever means necessary."

Ganondorf grinned maliciously and stepped forward, his hand outstretched. To Raneses' horror, the hand that grabbed the front of his cloak was flesh and blood, solid and unyielding as the first Dark Lord shoved his successor back into his throne.

"It is as your foe said; you are no longer deserving of life. It is _I_ who will take _your_ place, Raneses. I will make the entire Triforce mine, as I have always meant to do, and I will rule the kingdom it protects for generations of my daughters. Perhaps, in time, I will expand my empire, but my sisters and daughters will take their rightful place at my side when I do so."

With a wordless scream of rage, Raneses shoved Ganondorf backwards with all his might, leaping to his feet. Ganondorf flipped backwards down the steps, landing heavily on his feet at the bottom of the platform. Sneering, the first Dark Lord gestured and a greatsword flew off the wall and into his hand.

Raneses leaped down the steps at his ancestor, swinging the Sword of Darkness with all his might. Ganondorf blocked the first blow, returning it in a strike twice as powerful.

The two Dark Lords dueled about the throne room, matching strength against strength at first, but when Raneses tried to use his powers against Ganondorf, his ancestor only laughed, replying a moment later with a powerful telekinetic shove that sent Raneses tumbling across the floor.

Raneses jumped to his feet just as Ganondorf charged at him. The first Dark Lord slammed his greatsword against the Sword of Darkness, smashing it aside. In the next second, Ganondorf sent his fist in with all the power of an impacting meteor against Raneses' chest. He flew backwards to crash into his throne, breaking the stone with the force of his impact. His cloak tangled about his head and arms as Raneses tried to struggle to his feet, but he felt Ganondorf leap in to smash his head against the wreckage of the throne, grabbing him by the collar of the cloak.

Ganondorf hurled his descendant across the room to hit the wall high above the floor, dropping heavily against the base of one of the pillars lining the walls. Raneses tore his cloak away, rolling aside as Ganondorf landed fist-first against the place where he had been laying, cracking the floor with the force of his impact. He kicked Raneses viciously, and he tumbled along the polished stone floor until Ganondorf leaped over with incredible speed to stop his roll with another kick.

Raneses managed to land on his feet, gripping his sword in both hands as he stumbled back a step, breathing heavily.

Ganondorf smiled a true predator's grin as he moved his greatsword into a guard position. "You are pathetic!" he sneered. "I cannot believe I was ever willing to entrust my power to one such as you."

Shouting ferociously, Raneses went on the offensive, swinging and slashing with such speed and force Ganondorf could do nothing but block the strikes. Slamming the greatsword aside, Raneses lowered his shoulder and tackled his ancestor backwards, smashing him into the wall. Ganondorf responded by bringing his armored knee up into Raneses' chest, bringing his fist down between his shoulders in the same motion.

As Raneses fell, he pulled Ganondorf's leg out from underneath him, and both Dark Lords collapsed to the floor, the metal of Ganondorf's armor clanging off the polished stone with an echo that reverberated throughout the cavernous room.

The first Dark Lord lashed out with one heavy metal boot and caught the second under the chin, sending Raneses sliding backwards along the polished stone to hit the stairs of his throne head-first. Blinking the stars away, Raneses rolled out of the way as Ganondorf's punch demolished a section of the bottom step, but did not move quickly enough to avoid the next, and was knocked into the wall beside the throne, dropping stunned to the ground.

Ganondorf pulled his sword to him and swung down for a final strike.

* * *

"I don't know what's creepier," Midna remarked to Nabooru. "The fact that all three of them are still unconscious, or the fact that they're all _smiling_."

The raider prodded Arnak with her boot for the fourth time in half as many hours, receiving no answer yet again. As with Link and Zelda, the big man had a blissful, content smile on his bearded face, as if he were having a pleasant dream or recalling a fond memory.

The five of them were in a tiny triangular room, bare black stone and cold, the only illumination provided by a glowing sphere of energy the Twilight Princess had summoned once Nabooru had awakened her.

The raider had been the first to recover from the drop, awakening to utter blackness. She had stumbled around in the tiny chamber, trying to find an exit, and had tripped over a body in the darkness, inadvertently kicking Midna in the ribs. The Twilight Princess had sat up instantly, hurling her sword at Nabooru's head. Fortunately for both of them, she had missed.

The Three Bearers remained unconscious, the disturbingly content smiles on their faces, and no amount of shaking or shouting could rouse them.

So, for the last two hours, the two of them had tried to find some means of escape from the chamber, only to find that there was none. Midna discovered there was a suppressing field around the chamber, similar to the one around the Sheikahs' cell, and she was prevented from using all but the most basic and ineffectual abilities.

They were trapped, and no sound reached them but the quiet, regular breathing of their companions. That is, until they heard raised voices and the clash of steel shortly following.

Midna frowned, getting to her feet from her place next to Link. "Either Raneses is up there shouting at himself, or he and Ganondorf are fighting."

"Impossible!" Nabooru said, her hand instinctively moving for her scimitar. "The Accursed One is dead!"

Midna shook her head. "No, Link told me he saw Ganondorf the last time he was here, but he was only an image. If he's got himself a body again, we're in real trouble."

Nabooru cocked her head, listening to the crashes and shouts coming from above. "Perhaps they will destroy each other and we will be saved the trouble," she said, smirking.

Midna snorted. "Yeah, let's hope so. I don't know which one to root for otherwise." After a particularly violent crash just above them, she winced. "They're going to bring the whole fortress down on our heads!"

* * *

Before Ganondorf could complete his strike, Raneses pushed his feet together and kicked his ancestor back with all his strength, the sword tumbling from Ganondorf's grasp as he flew backwards to land heavily in the center of the Triforce pattern on the floor.

Raneses snatched up the Sword of Darkness from where it lay and charged Ganondorf as he got to his feet, swinging for his neck. The first Dark Lord blocked the strike with his gauntlet, gritting his teeth as he absorbed the force of the blow. The metal was actually punctured, and a trickle of blood leaked out, proving that Ganondorf's new body was mortal.

Raneses grinned and made to swing again, but Ganondorf slammed the heel of his hand against the middle of Raneses' chest, knocking him back a few steps.

His cloak swirling, the first Dark Lord levitated a few feet into the air, spreading his hands. "I will not kill you, Raneses," he said quietly.

Stunned, Raneses looked up at his ancestor with an expression of disbelief. "What?"

Ganondorf crossed his arms. "I will instead leave you to those who came here to confront you. It is time you felt the bite of the Master Sword, Raneses. The Chosen Hero will destroy you, and there will be no return."

Snarling, Raneses raised his hand to send a destructive beam of energy out at Ganondorf, but the first Dark Lord held up a hand and nothing happened.

"I have leveled the playing field," Ganondorf said, smirking. "Your battle with the Three will be skill against skill alone, with no enhancements on either side." He leaned forward slightly in midair. "Did you ever truly think the powers of my creation were solely at _your_ command?"

Raneses tried to summon his powers, _any_ of them, but they were all gone. He was left with only his size, strength, and skill with the blade as advantages.

Ganondorf chuckled darkly. "I am releasing the Three from the illusions in which I have trapped them. Pray you kill them quickly, Raneses. Otherwise, one of them will most assuredly kill _you_."

With that, he rose out of sight to vanish in the blackness hiding the ceiling of the cavernous throne room.

Raneses cursed loud and long in all the languages he knew, verbally railing against his ancestor and himself, especially himself, for trusting Ganondorf.

There was nothing now to do except wait for the Three to escape their prison and come for him.

Still, he had a few surprises left, even without his powers.

* * *

Midna turned to Link as the Hero groaned and sat up, looking around confusedly.

"Where-" he began, looking down at his clothes. He trailed off, and realization dawned on his face, followed by sadness.

"Hey," she said, nudging his shoulder. "What is it?"

Link sighed deeply. "I was…dreaming, I suppose. I was back in Ordon and I wasn't the Hero. I was…fishing. My sisters and my brother were there, and we were all laughing because I'd fallen in the creek when Leah shoved me."

Midna gave him a puzzled look. "Leah? You don't have any sisters, or a brother, either. What are you talking about?"

He sighed again. "When I was younger, I used to imagine my parents were still with me, and I had sisters and brothers, a big family, instead of just being by myself in the village." Link shook his head, pressing one hand against his temple. "It felt… It felt so _real_, and it was just like what I'd imagined. My mother was there, and she and my sisters kept talking about my father, but I never saw him…" Link paused, squeezing his eyes shut.

Midna put her hand on his shoulder, and he nodded gratefully, patting her hand with his own.

"I saw my children," Arnak said, slowly getting to his feet. "They were… exactly the way I've pictured them, and my wife was there with us. We were… happy." He closed his eyes, clenching his jaw. "This may be the cruelest trick of all."

Zelda said nothing as Nabooru helped her up, but a single tear trickled down her cheek, and she breathed deeply before turning to the others. "How are we to escape this place?" she said, her voice wavering almost imperceptibly.

As if in answer, the floor abruptly became a dome as its outer edges sank and the walls disappeared, sending them all tumbling. Midna felt a partition strike her back before a body hit her knees and she fell down a sloping tunnel after it, flailing for purchase on the slick walls.

She and the person who had hit her landed in a heap at the bottom of the long tunnel, lying still for a few moments in the darkness. Midna reached out and grabbed what felt like an ankle covered by a leather boot.

"Hey," she said, squeezing. "You all right?"

"I am," answered Zelda's voice. "A few bruises, but I believe I am unharmed."

Midna sat up and formed a globe of light above her fingertips, looking around. Zelda was getting up a few feet away, her hands moving to check her weapons.

Midna let the light-ball hover between them as she got to her feet, reaching down to adjust her belt. The Twilight Blade was still with her, and when she drew it, it still glowed with a silver light, made to seem brighter in the oppressive darkness of her surroundings.

An examination of the walls and floor revealed they were in what was essentially a long tube of stone stretching far off in either direction. Behind them, it reached up at an angle too steep to climb, leading back to the chamber beneath the throne room they had occupied for the last few hours. Midna tried to levitate up the incline, but discovered that power was not available to her.

"All right," she said in frustration, "I want to know how he's doing that."

When Zelda said nothing, Midna glanced back to see her fellow ruler pulling off her glove to look at her hand.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

Zelda looked back up, concern in her grey eyes. "I can no longer feel the Triforce of Wisdom."

* * *

Arnak and Nabooru stood in the utter darkness, the raider's hand on the Bearer of Power's arm so that they did not lose track of each other. Neither of them had access to any kind of magic, nor torch, matches or flint, so there was no way for them to part the thick, inky blackness that surrounded them.

Arnak tried to make his Triforce manifest, hoping to use its golden light as illumination, but it was as if it was simply not there. He was an ordinary mortal once again.

"Any ideas?" asked Nabooru. "We cannot stay here."

"Agreed," said Arnak, nodding before remembering she could not see him any more than he could see her. "We have no way to make fire, so we must proceed very carefully. Use your scimitar to check for holes in the floor."

Nabooru moved her hand down to his, tugging him forward. "Perhaps we might encounter the others," she said. "We should call to them."

Arnak raised one hand to his mouth and bellowed the names of his fellow Triforce Bearers, waiting as the echoes died away. He received no answer.

In the darkness, Nabooru suddenly stopped, and Arnak bumped into her. "What is it?" he asked.

"Did you just touch my arm?" she asked, scraping her scimitar against the wall to their right.

"No," Arnak answered.

"We are not alone!" she hissed suddenly, striking the wall with her weapon. Sparks flashed for a moment, and her grip on his hand tightened.

Glowing yellow eyes opened just in front of them, and Arnak immediately pulled the Gerudo warrior behind him, drawing his Goron-made greatsword and pointing it in the direction of the eyes.

He heard a grunt of pain and the sound of a scimitar slicing through the air behind him as Nabooru pressed her back to his.

"There's another one in front of me," she said, twirling her scimitar through the air in front of her, from the sounds he heard. "It tried to stab me."

Arnak slashed at the eyes with his sword, feeling it pass through nothing where a neck would have been had the owner of the eyes been human. He knew what the creature was; he'd confronted one when the captured flying fortress outside Nimbus City was destroyed.

However, with no light, he was not sure how they would fight the wraith-like shadow creatures here in the complete darkness of the tunnel. They were trapped.

* * *

Link slowly made his way down the smooth, cold stone tunnel, his lantern held out before him and the Master Sword in his other hand. It was hard to keep his footing on the slippery stone, either polished or coated with something slick. He was alone, and his shouts to the others had received no response.

Shortly after orienting himself, he had discovered that the Triforce of Courage was again not available to him, as thoroughly cut off as when Val had sealed it before his last visit to this fortress. The Hero's thoughts drifted to the alleged emissary, wondering if she had told the truth or not.

From what Majacen had said back in the forest, combined with her own description of her power, it was entirely possible Val was what she said she was. But, as Midna evidently thought, there was also the possibility she was some kind of agent for the Dark Lord.

Link turned left at a place where the tunnel forked, carving his initials into the stone at the fork with the Master Sword along with an arrow indicating which way he'd gone.

His thoughts next dwelled on the slain Sheikah warrior Erik, who had sacrificed himself so that Link could get away on his previous visit here. How well had he really known the warrior who'd given up so much for him? Erik had never been very forthcoming with information about himself, mostly concerned with the mission. Still, he'd been a good fighter, and a loyal comrade. Link placed him firmly in the category of 'friend', a short list for the naturally solitary Hero. He would avenge his fallen friend, repaying his sacrifice as best he could. Raneses would die today; if not by Link's hand, then he would make sure one of his fellow warriors accomplished the imperative task.

His resolve bolstered once again, Link put his full attention to finding his way out of the maze of tunnels. He threw all the skill he had learned at navigating confusing passages to work, quickly analyzing the pattern of the tunnels and forming a map in his mind based on the markings he made on the walls. He found himself going in circles for a short time before he began taking different forks and crossing out the marking indicating passages that went nowhere or joined back up with one of the other tunnels.

In only a matter of minutes, Link found himself looking at a spot of light off in the distance. Extinguishing his lantern, the Hero made for the spot of light with only the golden glow of the Master Sword to light his way.

It turned out to be a ray of light from a small grating in the tunnel, and once Link was underneath it, he determined that it opened into an open space above, through which the blue sky scattered with thick gray clouds was visible, framed by the edge of a dark stone wall. He could hear the roar of the surf outside, and the smell of sea air filled his nostrils.

Jumping up, Link seized the bars of the grating with his right hand and lifted himself up one-armed to press his face against the metal, trying to make out more of the scene beyond. All he was able to tell was that he was still inside the castle, its dark stone walls stretching up on all sides.

Lowering himself back down, Link wedged the blade of the Master Sword into a gap between two of the bars of the grating and began sawing, knowing the sacred weapon would never lose its edge and was more than sharp enough to accomplish the task.

In short order, he had sawed through enough of the bars that his weight broke the remaining two and he dropped back down to the tunnel floor. His foot slipped out from under him, and Link landed heavily on his shield, still across his back. His scabbard dug into his back, and the Hero painfully got to his feet, feeling a twinge in his ankle. Without the energies of the Triforce of Courage flowing through him, he felt pain much more easily. He'd never realized how much he was able to shrug off injuries before, and he knew he'd at least twisted if not sprained his ankle.

Tensing his legs, Link jumped up and grabbed one of the broken bars of the grating with one hand, pulling himself up to throw the hand holding the Master Sword over the edge of the hole.

He pulled himself up, squeezing his shoulders and equipment through the narrow hole, and rolled over onto the stone next to the hole, catching his breath. Link thought he might have even cracked a rib in his back with that landing, and he gritted his teeth against the pain, breathing heavily as he slowly sat up.

Digging in one of his belt pouches, Link pulled out a small glass bottle filled with red liquid and pulled the cork out with his teeth. He downed the brew in one gulp, grimacing at the chalky aftertaste.

The Hero picked up his sword as he looked at his surroundings. He was in a courtyard, surrounded by high walls lined with towers and battlements. On one side was what appeared to be the main gate of the fortress, huge steel-banded doors locked with a crossbeam made from what looked like an entire tree-trunk. On the other side was another set of huge doors set into the wall of the fortress, but these were open and Moblin guards periodically emerged from them to march in a long, circular path around the edge of the courtyard. Link had apparently emerged from a drain, which confirmed his guess that the tunnel network was the waterworks or sewers of the massive building.

This was the end of the Hero's brief rest, as one of the Moblin guards saw him and hurled his spear at the young warrior, shouting an alarm. The other moved off to begin ringing a heavy bell.

Link immediately brought out his bow and fired three arrows in quick succession. Two of his arrows pierced the Moblins between the eyes, and the third severed the rope of the bell. It dropped to land with a deep clang on the body of the Moblin that had been ringing it.

He dashed up the steps to the open door, ducking behind it as half a dozen more Moblin guards charged out into the courtyard, brandishing spears. Once they had spread out to investigate, the Hero slipped inside the fortress and sprinted down a long hallway lined with decorative pillars, ignoring his protesting ankle. He quickly ducked behind one of the pillars when a few more guards were attracted to the noise.

Quietly, Link made his way down the hallway, quickly silencing a Moblin that spotted him as he reached a divergence with a shot from his bow.

He stepped over the piggish creature's body as he saw the throne room doors off in the distance and jogged over to them, remembering this area from a few hours before when his entire team had passed through here. As he paused against the wall just to the side of one of the massive doors, bringing out another arrow to hold in place on his bow, Link momentarily wondered what had happened to the others after they had become separated, and hoped they were all right.

Taking a series of deep breaths, Link purged all distractions from his mind and stretched the arrow back, bringing it up to his cheek as he peered around the corner into the throne room.

A tall cloaked figure paced back and forth in front of the throne platform, a long black blade in his hand. He paused to look at the smashed throne behind him, and Link took advantage of this.

He loosed the arrow, then put away his bow and drew his sword. Link was sprinting at top speed for the Dark Lord before the projectile even reached its target

Raneses turned at his footsteps and caught Link's arrow with a lightning-fast movement of his arm, snapping the shaft before dropping the pieces to the polished stone floor. He barely had time to raise his sword before Link barreled into him, coming in swinging.

Sparks flashed as the two powerful swords connected three times in quick succession, Link pushing the larger Raneses back through the sheer power and speed of his blows. Raneses swept the Sword of Darkness low, at Link's feet, but the Hero moved his shield to block, lashing out for the Dark Lord's arm with the Master Sword.

Raneses twisted out of the way, letting his cloak entangle the sacred weapon, then sliced for Link's neck with his dark blade. The Hero ducked under the strike and jumped forward to slam his shield against the Dark Lord's torso, ripping his sword free of the heavy black cloak as he did so.

Link's feet went out from under him as Raneses lashed his boot out in a sweep kick and caught Link behind the knees, stabbing down as the Hero landed.

The young warrior rolled out of the way of the stab, turning the tables to bring his leg around in a sweep kick of his own. But, it was not sufficient to unbalance the larger warrior, and Link's injured ankle instead connected solidly with Raneses' metal-plated calf.

Letting out a cry of pain, Link scrambled backwards as Raneses chuckled darkly and stalked forward, slashing his blade through the air in a fast infinity arc.

Link leaped to his feet, his blade outstretched, and the duel ended suddenly. The Hero and the Dark Lord crossed blades twice, spinning away from the second exchange to stab for their opponent.

But when they drew close, something went horribly wrong. Link felt a sharp pain in his chest, and he looked down in disbelief to see a sword hilt inches from his heart, his enemy's hand wrapped around it.

The Dark Lord yanked his blade from the Hero's chest, stepping back as Link dropped to his knees, clutching his wound. Opening his mouth once to let out a last protesting grunt of pain, the Hero collapsed to the side and sprawled on his back, his lifeblood slowly forming a red pool around him.

Raneses moved to check his enemy, making sure he was really dead, and kicked Link's side once, eliciting no response from the fallen warrior. He took a deep breath and lowered his weapon, taking a step back. Turning, the Dark Lord walked away, leaving his enemy's body behind.

* * *

Author's Note: Didn't see that coming, did you? Next, the epic confrontation with the Dark Lord is decided once and for all. Thanks to Seldavia and Cloudrunner Sparty for taking the time to help me with this chapter and the story in general. I really appreciate it. Also, thanks as usual to all the readers. Till next time!

(Revision Note: I reworked this chapter a bit so that it flows better with the rest of the finale. Rest assured, no major changes were made, just some minor corrections.)


	42. Light

Forty-Two

Midna and Zelda found some scratches in the tunnel wall after almost half an hour of wandering. The Twilight Princess leaned in for a closer look, bringing her light-globe next to the markings.

"L.F. and an arrow," she said after a moment's examination, turning to Zelda. "Link Fenris?"

Hyrule's ruler nodded. "I believe so. Link may be nearby. We should follow the arrow."

The two of them moved off down the dark, cold tunnel, only Midna's light-globe providing illumination. After another ten minutes of following Link's markings, they found a ray of light breaking through the oppressive darkness of the tunnels.

Upon investigating it, the ray of light came from a hole in the ceiling of the tunnel, which had formerly contained a metal grating that now lay on the floor.

Midna interlaced her fingers and boosted Zelda up as the other ruler placed her boot in Midna's hands. After pulling herself up out of the hole, Zelda extended a hand back down and helped Midna out into a stone courtyard framed by massive dark stone walls.

Also occupying the courtyard were half a dozen Moblins, who looked up in surprise at the two rulers' arrival.

Drawing their swords, Midna and Zelda rushed forward.

Zelda was the first to reach an opponent, ducking under the first swing of its spear to neatly skewer it on her rapier, moving on to the next one as it toppled to the ground. Beside her, Midna blocked a spear thrust, twirling aside to chop the head off the weapon before slamming an elbow into the Moblin's snout. Grunting in pain, the piggish creature brought its hands up to press against its nose for a moment, and Midna took advantage to slam her knee between its legs. Groaning, it collapsed to the ground.

Sweeping her boot out to catch a Moblin behind the knee, Zelda grabbed its spear with one hand and whirled it to knock the creature on the head with the butt of the weapon, turning gracefully to throw her captured spear into another approaching guard before leaping over a low slash from a third Moblin, stabbing it in the chest on the way down.

Midna engaged the last guard, who had held back for a moment to try and circle around behind them, leaping over a spear thrust to bring her foot around in a roundhouse kick against its head. It stumbled, and she thrust the Twilight Blade through its chest, pulling her sword back out as it toppled over.

The two women were left alone in the courtyard with nothing but scattered spears and a slowly fading cloud of smoke for company. Exchanging determined glances, they charged up the steps at one end of the courtyard for the open doors, sprinting along the hallway lined with decorative pillars. At the end, they saw the massive doors of the throne room and a figure in green pressed against the wall, a bow in his hands.

Midna and Zelda increased their speed, running down the hallway as Link entered the throne room ahead of them, drawing his sword. As they drew closer, Midna heard the clashing of steel against steel, seeing sparks flash through the open throne room doors.

Just as they reached the doors, both rulers halted in shock at what they saw. After crossing blades twice, Link and Raneses spun away from each other, their swords held out to stab their opponent.

Raneses moved just a little more quickly and, unthinkably, the Sword of Darkness emerged from Link's back, just above his scabbard. Link grunted in pain and shock, looking down at the blade in his chest.

The Dark Lord viciously yanked his sword free, taking a step back as Link collapsed to his knees, hands pressed against his chest. The Hero groaned one last time, collapsing to the side to sprawl on his back, a red pool slowly forming around him.

Too shocked to move, Midna and Zelda watched as Raneses kicked the Hero's body, taking a step back and lowering his weapon. Taking a deep breath, he turned and walked away from the body, headed back toward the center of the room, but he stopped as he caught sight of the two women.

Raneses raised his blade into a defensive posture, remaining where he was.

Midna ignored him, a wordless howl of pain and disbelief tearing its way from her throat as she rushed forward, dropping to her knees next to the fallen Hero. His head lolled back, no life in his blue eyes, and red stained the entire front of his tunic.

She cradled his lifeless body against her chest, hot tears pouring down her cheeks. Link couldn't be gone. It was impossible, inconceivable, that her Hero could be defeated. They'd faced a dozen monstrous creatures, cut their way through innumerable foes, and always, _always_, they'd emerged to fight another day. How could he be lying here, lifeless?

His murderer chuckled darkly, spreading his hands. "You see? Even your so-called greatest warrior is no match for me. If you surrender now, I will spare your lives. You do not need to die."

Wordlessly, Midna gently laid her friend's body back down on the floor and rose to her feet, picking up her sword from where she had dropped it. Rage burned in her eyes, and she took a slow step forward, her every movement swearing revenge.

Raneses' grin disappeared and his tone became low and menacing. "Do not make me destroy you as I destroyed your friend."

Still silent, Midna took another step forward, her mouth set in a hard line as one final tear trickled down her cheek. Distantly, she was aware of Zelda falling into step beside her, silent as well, but her entire world right now consisted of the space between her and the Dark Lord.

Scowling, Raneses raised his sword, spreading his feet apart. The two women raised their blades as well.

* * *

Link awoke to an endless expanse of white, featureless and intangible. He felt a dull ache in his chest, and looked down to see a bright splash of darkening red over his heart. With a sinking feeling in his chest, he realized what this meant. As he looked up at the all-encompassing whiteness, he wondered where he was. Raneses' fortress looked nothing like this.

"Be at peace, Hero chosen by the gods. You are safe here."

The voice, a woman's, came from all around him, and he sat up, looking around for its source. He could see nothing, and he wondered who was talking.

A delicate arm wrapped in green appeared before him, and he looked up to see the most beautiful woman he had ever seen standing before him, dressed in a flowing forest green robe with her long, curly golden hair loose and swirling about her, reaching almost to her knees. She seemed vaguely familiar to him, for some reason, as if he had seen her a very long time ago and had forgotten the encounter. She extended her hand to him, and her emerald green eyes met his as Link took it, feeling her pull him to his feet effortlessly, two other hands on his back lifting, also.

Link turned to see two other ethereally beautiful women, one dressed in blue, the other in red, smiling at him radiantly. The three women's faces were almost identical, and it was obvious they were sisters. The woman in red's hair was as black as midnight, and her skin was darker than her sisters, her eyes a rich brown. She was taller than her sisters, and seemed to be stronger, as well. He was reminded of a Gerudo warrior.

The woman in blue had flowing auburn hair, and her eyes were purest crystal blue. She was the shortest of the three, though she was still taller than Link, and she had an aristocratic bearing. She could have been Zelda's older sister or mother. They were almost inhumanly beautiful, ageless in that their appearance was youthful but their bearing suggested uncounted years of existence. They seemed subtly aglow, as though a light golden aura surrounded them, just out of perception.

"Who… Who are you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

The three women spoke at once, and their combined voices were a perfect chorus, both powerful and delicate at the same time. "We are the Golden Goddesses, noble Hero, and you have served us well."

* * *

Midna was the first to spring at the Dark Lord, screaming out her rage and sorrow as she whirled her sword through a furious series of slashes and thrusts. Raneses backed away, purely on the defensive because Midna did not give him an opportunity to strike back.

Zelda circled around behind the Dark Lord and attacked him from the rear, stabbing with her rapier. Raneses twisted out of the way of her slender blade, letting the rapier stab through his heavy black cloak. Once her sword was entangled, he viciously drove his elbow into her abdomen, deflecting another slash from Midna at the same moment.

The Twilight Princess tried to distract Raneses long enough for Zelda to recover, but he used his greater height and strength to catch her blade and shove her back forcefully, knocking her a few steps away. In the few seconds it took her to recover, the Dark Lord tripped Zelda with a sweep kick and drew his sword back over his head for a finishing strike.

Midna managed to leap forward and intercept the powerful blow with her own sword, but the sheer force behind the strike knocked the weapon from her grip. She dodged another slash from Raneses, but he kept pressing her back, away from her sword.

With an acrobatic flip, Midna put a few more feet between herself and the Dark Lord, but he pursued, murder in his menacing yellow eyes.

* * *

Link looked down at the dark stain over his heart. "Am I dead?"

The goddess dressed in blue, who he knew must be Nayru, reached out and brushed some of his hair away from his face, and he felt an almost electric thrill run through him at her touch. "You are straddling the gap, Hero. Your body is but a hair's breadth from death, and we are greatly saddened at this. You are not meant to come here for many years, young one."

Suddenly, the white blankness around them dissolved, and they were standing in a magnificent hall, richly appointed with tapestries and decorative weapons, lined on every side with stained-glass windows of incredible craftsmanship, and filled with tables at which sat dozens of men and women dressed in green. Some were dressed almost identically to Link, but some had bizarre and exotic clothes he did not recognize. He knew at once that they were all Heroes, his predecessors in the Goddesses' service.

As Link looked around, he saw that there were tapestries for every Hero in the hall, of such fine beauty and workmanship that nothing in the mortal realms could ever rival them. They depicted the Heroes' journeys in incredible detail, showing all the foes they overcame and the people they rescued and knew. Beside each tapestry on either side hung fantastic arrays of equipment, some Link recognized as being similar to what he himself used, and some devices whose function he could not fathom. Underneath many tapestries, there hung a replica of the Master Sword, and under others, swords he did not recognize or other weapons.

"What is this place?" Link said in awe.

The goddess dressed in red, Din, answered him. "This is the Hall of Heroes, beloved one. Those who serve us and protect our creation are rewarded here with an eternity of feasting and dueling, whatever they wish granted to them by us in reward for their loyal service."

A man who strongly resembled Link, dressed in a sleeveless green tunic with a shirt of chain-mail under it, raised his goblet in toast to Link, gesturing with it behind the current Hero. Link turned to see a tapestry depicting his own adventures, the cloth woven so finely that it seemed as if the moments in time themselves had been captured within its threads. He stood there gazing at it for what seemed like hours, until he came to the end, where he saw an image of Raneses piercing his chest with the Sword of Darkness. The tapestry ended abruptly there, as if someone had taken a knife and sliced off anything after it. The remnants of a final scene were visible just before the cut, depicting the Dark Lord raising his blade to face someone else entering the chamber.

Link turned to see the goddess dressed in green, Farore, with tears in her eyes. "This is not the fate you deserve, noble one," she said sadly. "It is not your time to come here. You should still have a lifetime ahead of you with the ones you love."

Nayru touched his cheek, her almost motherly fondness for him apparent in her movements. "Take your place among the honored warriors, Link. You have earned it."

Din gestured to the massive set of double doors set into one end of the hall. Many other doors led from the enormous hall, but these were featured most prominently. "If you wish to speak to us, we will remain here for a short time."

The Hero in the sleeveless green tunic waved Link over, and he turned back to thank the Goddesses, but they had moved off to wait in front of the doors. Link walked over and sat down across from the man, and to look at his face was like looking into a mirror, so strong was his resemblance.

He was about the same age as Link outwardly, but his deep blue eyes spoke of decades of experience. He grinned as he poured Link a drink out of the flagon in front of him, pushing the goblet towards the young warrior.

"That's one of the perks about living here," he said. "You're eternally in the prime of your life. I was almost sixty when I came here. Imagine my surprise when I saw my face for the first time."

"I feel like I've seen you before," Link said, taking a drink. He blinked at the pleasant taste. This wine was finer than any he'd ever tasted, even at the banquet Zelda had thrown in his honor after Ganondorf's defeat.

The Hero opposite him winked. "No hangovers, either." Taking a drink of his own, he pointed behind him at one of the tapestries about halfway along the hall. "I'm that one."

Link spotted the Staff of Lightning hanging under the tapestry immediately, and turned back to the Hero sitting across from him, his mouth opening in surprise. "You're…"

The Hero of Lightning nodded. "Mm-hmm. I'm your…" He paused, brows knit in thought. "Ancestor. Let's put it that way. Too many greats to count right now." He grinned, gesturing at Link's tapestry, where another replica of the Staff of Lightning hung next to the rest of his equipment. "I've been watching you use that thing, and you're pretty good with it. Not half as good as me, but I had more practice."

Link gave his ancestor a curious look. "What do you mean?"

The Hero of Lightning leaned back in his seat. "I had it for years. I found out how to do things with that staff that shouldn't even be possible. You only scratched the surface, Link."

Link paused at hearing his name, remembering something his mother had told him. "I think I'm named for you. My father researched you after he found your son Endrew's mansion."

Link Fenris, the original one, leaned over the table for a conspiratorial whisper, grinning. "You know what, Link? We share that name with about half the guys in here. It's all _his_ fault. He was the first one." He jerked a thumb at the Hero sitting at the head of their table, a dozen feet away.

The man was dressed in a simple green tunic and pants, and was, oddly, barefoot, his feet propped up on the table. His manner of clothing reminded Link of a peasant or…

A slave. The man his ancestor had indicated had to be the First Hero, the one who had liberated most intelligent species from the Oocca two thousand years ago. Link made to rise, intending to move down and talk to the legendary man, but the Hero of Lightning caught his arm.

"Hey, kid, sit down. You've got forever to get to know all of us once you come back here. Don't forget what you left behind." He gestured over at Link's tapestry, with its abrupt ending.

The last scene showed Raneses standing over Link's fallen body, turning to face someone entering the throne room. Link couldn't make out who it was, but the Dark Lord's expression was fierce as he raised his blade.

The Hero of Lightning caught his descendant's eye, his expression grave. "I heard what Nayru said. Your body isn't completely dead yet. You have to go back and stop that monster from killing whoever's coming in right now. They saw him stab you, and they're probably pretty upset." He gestured around at the tables full of green-clad warriors. "If your friends die, they don't get to come here, you know. If they die, it's over, except the other two Bearers. Wisdom and Power have their own halls."

Link paused in shock. "Wait, I can go back?"

"Maybe," said another voice. A Hero dressed almost exactly like Link sat down next to him. "The Three may let you. I know Farore wants to, though the others are probably against it. If they let you return to life, it really stretches their rule of not directly intervening in the mortal realms." He extended a hand. "I'm Link, Hero of Time."

The Hero of Lightning nodded as Link shook his predecessor's hand. "Your friends are powerful, but they really need you there to help them," he said. "Even without your Triforce, you are one of the greatest swordsmen the world has ever seen, the people in this hall included."

The Hero of Time gestured to his own tapestry, hanging behind their table. "Our mutual enemy is behind all of this. He's hiding up in the rafters of the throne room, manipulating all of you like a puppet-master at his strings. He's the one suppressing your Triforce, though he's blocking Raneses from using his magic, too."

Link felt his jaw clench. "Ganondorf is there?"

The Hero of Time nodded grimly. "You'll have to confront him after you defeat Raneses. He can do things with the Triforce of Shadow no mortal should have a right to do. If you don't want him to take his descendant's place, you'll have to fight him again."

The original Link Fenris gestured to the splash of red over Link's chest. "You'll have to watch yourself. You know how dangerous Ganondorf is, and if he kills you, you're staying here for good. The Three won't push their rule twice."

"Well," said Link, "I defeated him once before. I can do it again." He frowned, looking down at his chest. "Hopefully."

The Hero of Time clapped Link on the shoulder. "You'll do fine. Now," he said, pointing at Link's tapestry, "you'd better get going. It's only been a couple minutes or so back in the mortal realm, but your friends are fighting Raneses. They'll need your help."

The Hero of Lightning gripped Link's forearm in a warrior's salute. "I don't want to see you back here for at least fifty years, you understand me?"

Link grinned. "I'll try my best."

The Hero of Time shook his hand. "Good luck."

Link stood and bid farewell to his predecessors, moving off to talk to the Three Goddesses again.

Farore smiled at him as he approached. "You want to go back, don't you?" she asked, a knowing look in her eye.

Link didn't bother to ask how she knew. "Yes, if I can."

Din frowned. "We have sworn not to interfere directly with our creation. Sending you back would be a violation of that."

Nayru turned to her, a thoughtful look on her face. "His body _is_ still alive, though barely. We would merely be restoring his health."

The Goddess of Power frowned again, though Link could tell she was arguing just to let her sisters know how seriously she took their rule. "It is close, though. We cannot do something like this again."

Farore reached out and touched her sister's shoulder. "The threat posed is too great. Even the bearers of your power and Nayru's cannot prevail by themselves."

Nayru nodded. "The Three Bearers must work together. We cannot give the Triforce of Courage to another in time to ensure the Dark Lord's defeat."

Din paused for a long moment, then nodded once in acquiescence. "Very well. We will send you back." She placed her hand on Link's shoulder, her rich brown eyes meeting his own with a serious expression. "Raneses is dangerous, but his ancestor is even more so. As the Hero of Time told you, you will have to confront Ganondorf once again. He is more powerful than ever before, but with your allies at your side, you will triumph."

Nayru smiled at him, folding her hands in front of her as her long auburn hair fell over her shoulders. "You have served us well, Link. Once you finish your mortal course, you will have a place of honor even in this distinguished hall. Few have faced down the trials you have overcome, and we will see to it that your name survives history and your tale is recounted to many generations."

Link was startled momentarily. He'd never thought about his record in history before. "Uh… thank you," he said, too surprised to say anything else.

Farore embraced him warmly, whispering in his ear. "Know that you have our blessing and our love, Link." She pulled back and met his eyes, her hands still on his shoulders. "We will give you the strength to destroy your foe, but it is you who must take the action. We will see you again when your service to us is finished."

She stepped back, and the Three Goddesses spoke as one again, gesturing to the massive double doors behind them. "Go forth, our beloved Hero, and fulfill the duty we have set before you."

The Hero of Lightning stood, raising his goblet. "To Link!"

A tremendous cheer went up from the gathered Heroes as Link, the Hero of Light, charged for the door.

* * *

Arnak and Nabooru rushed headlong down the dark tunnel, trying to use their other senses to avoid the shadow creatures. Nabooru was the first to discover their foul smell, only barely noticeable, but in conjunction with the fact that their glowing yellow eyes were plainly visible, the two of them could sometimes get a good idea of where the creatures were.

Both had suffered dozens of small cuts and wounds, blind to the weapons the wraiths were using to assault them. He was not afraid to confess it; Arnak had never been more frightened in his entire life.

He grunted as he felt a blade slice his shoulder, and he swiped in its general direction with his sword, hearing Nabooru do the same beside him, her scimitar whooshing through the thick, oppressive air of the tunnels.

Something brushed his leg, and he kicked at it. Next, he received an elbow in the back as Nabooru jerked when something unseen touched her, as well.

After so long in the darkness, Arnak's eyes began to adjust somewhat, picking up a minuscule amount of light filtering into their tunnel from somewhere. He could barely make out a vague shadow next to him as the Gerudo warrior, her long hair moving as she looked back and forth through the tunnel, on the lookout for more yellow eyes.

He thought the wraiths were just toying with them, trying to make the two of them panic and separate, so they could finish them off individually. In the total darkness, Arnak had no way of seeing where the wraiths were until they opened their eyes, so they could have killed him at any time.

"Arnak?" Nabooru asked, her grip on his hand tightening slightly.

"Yes?"

"It has been an honor to fight with you. You would have made a fine father for your children."

The big man nodded, glancing over at the vague outline of his fellow warrior. "It has been an honor to fight with you as well," he replied. He paused a moment. "Thank you."

She squeezed his hand in reply, tugging him forward again.

As Arnak raised his sword to check for obstructions, he hit a wall and cautiously stepped forward to examine it. He told Nabooru about what he found, and the two of them carefully felt in the darkness around the obstruction, eventually determining that they were at a place where the tunnel forked off into two paths.

"Which way shall we go?" the raider asked.

Arnak strained his light-starved eyes. The passage on the right did not seem as oppressively dark as the one on the left, so he tapped that side of the partition with his sword. "We'll go this way."

"If we do not find an exit, we shall wander in these tunnels until those monsters kill us," Nabooru said. "I wish we had a torch or a lantern. Even a match!" She sighed in frustration.

A tiny spark of light flashed near Arnak's right hand. Instantly, both of them looked over at it, bright as the sun in the blackness. After a few moments, Arnak's hand erupted with a powerful golden light, bright enough that both of them had to shield their eyes after being in darkness for so long.

Arnak felt the energies of the Triforce of Power flow through him once more, filling him with strength and power. Concentrating, he summoned a pinprick of light above his hand, gradually expanding it until the tunnel was lit almost as bright as day for several feet around.

He felt a chill pass through him as this revealed more than two dozen of the shadow creatures pressed in close around them, swords and knives in their hands. They appeared stunned, frozen in sudden nervousness.

"Cover your eyes," he told Nabooru.

Once she had, Arnak strengthened the luminosity of his globe of light until the formerly dark tunnel flared with a blindingly powerful flash, freezing the shadow creatures in place.

As he let the light fade, he saw several of the creatures drop to the floor of the tunnel and writhe in agony, seeming to burn in the light. Those that could rapidly fled, shrieking in eerie, high voices.

"Impressive," said Nabooru, sheathing her scimitar.

Arnak put away his own weapon. "It is time to leave this place," he said, motioning her closer. "Hold on."

He put an arm around her waist, cloaking them both in protective energy from his Triforce. Raising one hand over his head, he made a fist and lifted them free of the tunnel floor with his levitation ability. He pulled back his fist and smashed a hole in the tunnel ceiling, pulling them up through it as he increased speed, breaking aside any obstruction with his powers until they emerged into the open air.

Looking around, Arnak saw they were outside the fortress, a dozen yards from the main gate. Pushing forward, he swooped over the wall, diving for the first window he could see. They sped through the empty, narrow hole in the wall, barely wide enough to fit the two of them, and headed down the hall, hovering just above a staircase. Arnak flew down the tower faster and faster, dodging or ignoring Raneses' guards, still on their patrols around the fortress.

Once they reached an intersection, Arnak set them down and frowned thoughtfully, trying to decide which way to go.

Nabooru took a step away from him, breathing heavily. "I have… never experienced anything like that before. Truly, the Triforce is an incredible power. I understand why the Accursed One sought it so ardently."

Arnak half-smiled. "I am still trying to get used to it myself. It lets me do things I never thought were possible."

The raider looked over at him, her expression grave. "You must keep careful guard over yourself, if you do not want to become like its previous bearer. He became a terrible monster with the power you have now."

Arnak looked down at the marking on his hand, contemplating it. He had done terrible things with this power since he had begun using it. Had it begun corrupting him? Always, he was seized with a terrible rage when he used it to its fullest extent, and it became harder to calm down again each time. Was this how Ganondorf had become what he did?

Nabooru put her hand on his arm, gesturing with her other hand down a nearby hallway. "Come. I believe we should go this way. I hear battle ahead."

Arnak enhanced his own senses with his Triforce. "You are right; the throne room is down this passage." He looked over at his companion. "Let us hurry!"

* * *

Link opened his eyes to see Midna and Zelda fighting Raneses. Midna flipped backwards away from the Dark Lord, but he pursued, sword raised and a fierce snarl on his face.

As Link sat up and put his hand on the Master Sword lying next to him, he saw Raneses' eyes widen in shock, locked on the rising Hero. The Dark Lord stopped running after Midna, halting to bring his sword up against the returned threat of the Hero.

Midna glanced behind to see what he was looking at and her own eyes widened in surprise and happiness, a joyous smile spreading across her face. She ran over and wrapped Link in a tight embrace, squeezing him as if to confirm he was really there. "I thought I'd lost you," she whispered.

"You almost did," he replied, squeezing her back.

"How touching," Raneses sneered, still holding his sword at a guard position. "Whatever the reason for your miraculous recovery, Hero, I assure you that you will not escape death a second time."

Midna released Link and he stepped forward, bringing his sword up as his eyes narrowed in threat. He said nothing as he slowly walked forward to stand next to Zelda, his eyes locked on the Dark Lord's.

With a powerful golden flash, the Triforce of Courage manifested itself on Link's left hand, and he raised his sword into a ready position, the similar golden flash of the Triforce of Wisdom visible out of the corner of his eye. Midna picked up the Twilight Blade from where it lay on the polished stone floor and stepped into position next to him, shifting into a ready stance.

Link flicked a quick glance at both women, and Midna nodded silently, motioning him forward with her sword.

The Hero exploded into movement, leaping forward to bring his sacred weapon down in a powerful two-handed strike, slashing again before Raneses had time to recover. He bashed his shield into the Dark Lord's torso, bringing the pointed end down into his kneecap before slashing upward for Raneses' head.

The strike came so close to the Dark Lord's ear that the Master Sword's point took a lock of flame-red hair with it.

Raneses took a step back, reassessing his opponent, but before he could strike, Link was already leaping in, the Master Sword moving so fast that it appeared the Hero trailed a long white ribbon behind him, jumping and twisting to strike again and again.

The Dark Lord moved with speed and skill, blocking every one of Link's strikes, but when Midna and Zelda entered the fray, he began to falter. Link was so much of a threat that Raneses had to devote his full attention just to keeping him at bay, only periodically moving to block a strike by Zelda's rapier or the Twilight Blade. He relied on his swirling black cloak to confuse his true position.

The three of them were as wolves circling an elk; when the larger being moved to fight off one of them, another would leap in to strike at a vulnerable area, harassing their target without giving him a moment's peace.

Finally, Raneses blasted them away with a telekinetic push, apparently having recovered his powers. The three of them flew backwards, trying to land on their feet, but only Link managed to remain standing, boots planted wide and his shield held out in front of him. He skidded backwards on the slick stone almost five feet before stopping, sword hand planted on the ground to steady himself.

It was then that Arnak and Nabooru entered the throne room, the Bearer of Power rushing forward immediately with his sword held out in front of him. Raneses tried to push him away, also, but the big man shrugged it aside, not slowing his charge for an instant.

As a last resort, the Dark Lord raised a yellow wall of energy around himself, but Arnak leaped over it, coming in swinging. He exchanged a furious series of blows with Raneses, pushing him steadily backwards. When he at last knocked the Dark Lord's blade aside with his own, Arnak lashed out and kicked Raneses backwards into his own barrier, leaping forward as the Dark Lord thrashed and twitched, shocked by the barrier's energies.

Raneses waved the barrier away with a gesture, rolling out of the way as Arnak's greatsword came crashing down on the floor where his head had been a moment earlier, gouging out a chunk of stone.

Nabooru had already reached him, leaping forward with a fierce Gerudo battle cry. She moved her scimitar through a fast series of slashes, forcing the Dark Lord back to where Midna waited with the Twilight Blade.

Just as he finally escaped the Gerudo warrior, twisting to the side to bring his dark blade down at her neck, Midna slashed his shoulder and he turned to block her next strike, a vertical slash meant for his chin. Raneses kicked Nabooru away, taking one hand off his weapon to deflect a thrust from Zelda's rapier with his gauntlet.

Link was waiting, and he stabbed the Master Sword down, slicing the back of Raneses' knee. The Dark Lord bellowed in fury, sweeping his fist out at the Hero's head, but it was caught by Arnak, who then brought his other hand up into a vicious uppercut to Raneses' chin.

The Dark Lord was lifted completely off his feet, tumbling back to land heavily on the stone floor, his cloak tangling in his limbs as he attempted to rise.

Nabooru rose up above him, the point of her scimitar aimed for his heart. She said a few grave and threatening words in Gerudo before stabbing down, the blade entering his chest with all the force her muscles could provide.

He screamed in pain, an almost animal howl that echoed around the cavernous throne room. Just as the Gerudo warrior withdrew her scimitar, Raneses lashed out and knocked her legs out from underneath her with a sweep of his arm, rolling to his feet.

A blue-green lance of energy erupted from Midna's sword, but Raneses brought the Sword of Darkness up and, incredibly, absorbed the blast with the obsidian-black blade. He raised his other hand and sent a red stream of energy stabbing back at her, but the Twilight Princess ducked and it gouged a huge chunk out of the wall behind her, sending decorative weapons clattering to the floor.

The Dark Lord backed up, weaving unsteadily on his feet as he pressed one hand to his chest, blood trickling over his fingers. Nabooru had missed his heart, it seemed.

From either side, Midna and Zelda attacked, dividing Raneses' attention between them. Arnak attacked from above, bringing his greatsword down at Raneses' head, and between the three of them, they left an opening big enough to Link to slip through.

Moving without hesitation, the Hero darted forward and thrust the Master Sword up to the hilt through Raneses' chest, piercing his black heart. Their eyes met, deep pools of blue boring into glowing yellow orbs, and the Dark Lord began to snarl before the curved blade of a scimitar joined the Master Sword in his heart, coming from the other direction.

Nabooru repeated her earlier words, in Hylian this time. "To oblivion with you, nameless monster!"

The Dark Lord bared his teeth, screaming with rage in a final show of defiance. Energy began to crackle around his body, and the five of them backed away, watching him carefully with their weapons held at the ready.

Raneses' sword slipped from his fingers to land with a metallic clatter on the stone floor. He threw back his head and screamed loud and long, rage and pain mixed in a final cry that descended into a roar as he contorted, erupting with black fire as the dark energies he had brought under his control released themselves from his body in a swirling pyrotechnic eruption.

Finally, the Dark Lord Raneses dropped to the floor in a pile of half-burnt clothing and armor, dead.

The five people who had brought about his end breathed a sigh of relief. The war was over.

* * *

Viserys peered down at the shipyard complex with suspicion, examining it with his telescope. Moments ago, all enemy guns had ceased, and every Oocca he could see suddenly turned and flocked toward the central hub of the huge complex.

"What are they doing, sir?" asked Tyrone, the captain of _Falcon's Pride._ "Are they giving up?"

Viserys closed his telescope, placing his hands on the rail of the command platform. "I do not know. Perhaps." He watched the airships nearby slowly stop bombing the docked flying fortresses, coming to a halt over their suddenly silent targets.

"Tell the fleet to hold position," Viserys said finally. "We will take the flagship in for a closer look."

As soon as he finished speaking, a bright blue light flashed several times on the roof of a flat tower near the top of the central hub of the floating city. A white banner rose on a tall flagpole next to the light, flapping in the stiff winds of this altitude.

"What do you suppose it means?" Tyrone asked.

Viserys turned back to look at the tower, still flashing the blue light next to the white banner. "I believe they are surrendering."

The bridge crew erupted into cheers, laughing with relief. Even Viserys allowed himself a small smile, inwardly as jubilant as his crew.

The war was over.

* * *

Ashei got to her feet as the Gerudo warrior beside her stretched back her bow.

Dozens of monsters came pouring through the tunnel leading out to the battlefield, dropping their weapons as they fled. Many of them had an air of panic and confusion about them, as if they did not know where they were, and the first several monsters did not even stop, running blindly into the space where the drawbridge to the city had been.

Instead, they found only empty air and tumbled into the moat, shrieking and roaring on the way down. The others behind them halted and looked up at Ashei and the row of defenders arrayed along Castle Town's eastern wall.

Smiling grimly, Ashei indicated the group of enemies with a downward wave of her hand. "Fire!"

Dozens of arrows flocked down to the trapped monsters, and they turned to flee, but were pressed in by the rest of their fellows, trying to retreat into the city from the rout outside. The Hero's Army provided them no escape, and the monsters were trapped.

Roaring angrily in a language Ashei didn't recognize, a golden-armored Darknut with a long black cloak hanging from his shoulders traded blows with Darbus, being forced backwards through the group of monsters.

Jotun made his stand at the edge of the stairway above the water below, actually managing to hold the gigantic Goron off for a few moments with the wild swings of his blade. But, Darbus was too strong, and finally, grabbing hold of the enemy general's sword with one hand, Darbus drew back an enormous fist and drove it into Jotun's helmet, crumpling the metal.

The Supreme Commander of Raneses' army toppled backwards into the water of the moat, his heavy armor sending him straight to the bottom.

Other monsters willingly jumped into the moat, hoping to swim away, but graceful Zoras leaped in and out of the water, finishing them with deadly slashes from their spears and razor-sharp fins.

Many enemies, faced with the moat and Ashei's archers at the front and the Hero's Army to the rear, simply dropped their weapons and raised their hands, finally surrendering. The defenders quickly finished off any who decided to make a stand.

Ashei smiled as the Gerudo warrior next to her slapped her on the back, whooping joyously in her own language.

The war was over.

* * *

Just as the five of them relaxed, both Nabooru and Arnak moving forward to check Raneses' remains, a dark shape hurtled down from the ceiling, landing with a thunderous impact next to the Dark Lord's body.

A quick slash from an enormous greatsword sent the raider and the Bearer of Power back, both of them stumbling and falling to the ground.

The huge man straightened, swelling to over seven-and-a-half feet tall, black armor edged in gold gleaming in front of a long dark red cloak draped over his back. He raised his sword and swept it in front of himself in a slow semicircle, as if daring any of them to come forward and challenge him.

Ganondorf, the original Dark Lord and man most befitting that title, in flesh and blood once more, slowly lowered the greatsword to hang at his side, piercing amber eyes sweeping over the assembled warriors.

"So," he said, his deep voice carrying throughout the room, "I see you have destroyed the Dark Lord. I would imagine you are all feeling very pleased with yourselves right now." He smirked, one corner of his mouth quirking upwards as he looked over at Link. "You've removed the dangerous evil, leaving Hyrule free yet again."

Ganondorf took a slow step forward, his expression serious. "Raneses was a monster, and I do have to thank you for removing him. The world is truly a better place without him in it."

None of the gathered warriors responded, their attention fixed on the Dark Lord as they readied their weapons.

He smirked again, raising one eyebrow as he looked at their group, radiating dark amusement.

"So eager to fight me, are you?" he said, turning his back on them to face the body of his descendant.

Suddenly, Ganondorf whirled to face them again, his cloak fluttering out with the speed of the movement. In one hand, he held the Sword of Darkness, his twisted copy of the Master Sword. Above the other floated a small black triangle, his evil mockery of the Golden Power.

"Then face the real Dark Lord in all his power!" he boomed, closing his hand around the Triforce of Shadow.

Dark energy crackled around Ganondorf, creating an invisible wind around him that stirred his cloak and the clothes of those around him. He raised his right hand, clenching it into a fist to display the upside-down Triforce marking that flared into existence there, shining out with a dark gray light.

Ganondorf's voice took on a rumbling echo, his eyes shining with the same gray light as his creation. "You should not be so foolish as to fight me here. With all the power that we command, our combat would shake the very foundations of the world."

He spread his arms, levitating a few feet into the air. "If your misguided sense of righteousness bids you to confront me, then follow me to the place where we will decide who is to control the Golden Power."

With that, Ganondorf opened his hand and broke into black squares, disappearing from before them.

The war was _not_ over.

* * *

Author's Note: The idea of tapestries recording the Heroes' journeys was inspired by Seldavia's fic, 'Twilight Regent', which I recommend you check out if you haven't already. Thanks goes to her again for her help with this chapter. Next, the heroes confront the Dark Lord Ganondorf in the epic final battle to decide the fate of Hyrule.

(Revision Notes: As with the previous chapter, I rearranged a few of the scenes in this chapter and altered a few minor details so that it flows better with the preceding and following chapters. Again, no major changes were made.)


	43. Twilight

Forty-Three

Midna scowled. "I'm starting to get tired of Ganondorf. How many times do we have to kill him before he just stays dead?"

Link nodded in agreement; she'd expressed his sentiments perfectly.

"Where did he go?" Nabooru asked Zelda.

Zelda closed her eyes in concentration. "The Gerudo Desert, at the Arbiter's Grounds."

Midna stepped forward, sheathing her sword. "Then that's where we're going. Get ready."

Arnak held up a hand. "One moment. We are all weary from the battle, and we need to be ready. If we face Ganondorf as we are now, he will slaughter us in moments."

Link brought out an array of bottles. "I have some Great Fairy's Tears, but I don't know if there's enough for all of us."

The Bearer of Power shook his head. "We do not need them."

Arnak's Triforce shone strongly as he reached out a hand and spread his fingers. A soft golden light spread through the group, filling them all to the brim with energy. Wounds abruptly stopped bleeding or disappeared entirely, and all tiredness vanished from the gathered warriors.

Link inhaled deeply. The effect was like that of drinking a bottle of Great Fairy's Tears, but a dozen times more potent. He practically twitched with pent-up energy, a flood of adrenaline accompanying Arnak's sharing of his Triforce's energies.

Midna shook her head quickly. "Whew! Okay, one last thing, and then we'll go."

Walking over to Raneses' body, Midna held out her hands and two objects emerged from the corpse, floating up to hover over her hands. Link recognized them as the two Fused Shadows Raneses had taken from Nemo, who had kept them after he first took up the Sword of Darkness.

Midna spread her fingers and closed her eyes, and the Fused Shadows shrank into nonexistence over her hands. She swelled up, taking a deep breath, and opened her eyes as she let it out, sighing happily. All four Fused Shadows now in her possession, Midna was now at the height of her powers once again. The glowing markings on her arms and legs flared up briefly, shining brightly in the dark throne room, before slowly fading back to normal.

"That's _much_ better," she said, flexing her fingers. She turned to the others. "All right, _now_ we're ready. Let's go."

The five of them grouped together, and the throne room vanished around them, the world fading into black before resuming in a rush of light and heat. Link's boots sank into soft sand, and he moved his feet, looking around.

Around them, the walls of the Arbiter's Grounds rose up in a massive coliseum, the pillars of the Sages' symbols stretching up like flagpoles along the rim. Overhead, Viserys' airships still swarmed over the gigantic floating city surrounded by flying fortresses both docked and moving free.

In front of the five warriors, his black armor gleaming in the bright sunlight, Ganondorf stood waiting on a platform made of the same tan-colored stone as the rest of the former prison. Behind him sat the empty frame that had once held the Mirror of Twilight, a massive plinth of black stone sitting upright in the sand a few yards behind it.

He gestured at the coliseum around them. "I have always hated this place," he said, the rumbling echo of his deep voice bouncing off the stone walls and assaulting them from all sides. "Even before your people profaned it by turning it into a prison." The Dark Lord grinned malevolently. "I am tempted to bring it down on you now."

Ganondorf reached out with one hand and the ground around them rumbled, cracks appearing in the stone of the walls surrounding them. As they watched, the cracks spread up to the Sages' symbols and the pillars toppled back over the walls, leaving only broken stumps behind. Slowly, the rumbling ceased and fragments of stone trickled their way down to the sand with a soft patter.

The Dark Lord pointed at their group with his dark blade. "But, as fitting as it would be to turn the place of my execution into the place of yours, I have no wish to destroy this world." His eyes shone brightly with dark gray light, even in the harsh sun of the desert. "My mission is what it has been for more than a century: I wish to possess the Golden Power. You will not surrender it without a fight, obviously, and you will fight me."

Ganondorf gestured at the walls around them, looking up at the sky. "With all the power the five of us command, we could destroy the world in a serious conflict. Both sides wish to possess at least a piece of this world in some form, and so we are at somewhat of an impasse."

"You could always surrender," Midna offered, smiling with false sweetness.

Ganondorf smirked. "So could you."

Still pointing his sword at the five warriors, the Dark Lord half-turned to face the empty frame behind him, empty hand stretched toward it. His fingers shone with dark gray light, and he slowly clenched them into a fist. As he did so, sand swirled around him, flowing up to the empty frame. Gradually, the sand took on a dark color, and when Ganondorf clenched his fist, it became a disk, settling into the frame. When the Dark Lord opened his fingers, the disk flashed and became more solid, etchings and decorations appearing on the back. White light erupted out of the disk, shining with archaic symbols onto the massive black plinth that sunk into the sand behind the platform. A series of glowing white circles appeared in the plinth, appearing to stretch on into infinity.

Ganondorf turned back to the group, looking down at Midna in particular. The Twilight Princess' expression was astonished, and the Dark Lord laughed out loud at this.

"Now do you see how foolish trying to fight me would be?" he said, spreading his arms. "I command a power beyond your imagination, and this is but a fraction of what I am capable of doing now."

He turned and stepped in front of the renewed Mirror of Twilight, ascending the glowing white steps that appeared until he stood on a platform of glowing white lines. The Dark Lord gestured with his empty hand at the swirling vortex behind him.

"I will be waiting in the Twilight Realm," he said. "At least there, we will not harm the world we both wish to possess in a contest of our powers." He straightened, looking down at them with a self-assured expression. "Surrender or fight; it matters not to me. I will still possess your power either way."

With that, he broke into a group of black squares that were sucked into the vortex behind him. The glowing white platform disappeared, and they were alone in the coliseum.

"Can the Mirror be destroyed?" Nabooru asked. "We could trap the monster in the Twilight Realm."

Midna ascended the stairs and struck the back of the Mirror with a balled fist, eliciting a gong-like sound. "I destroyed this thing for a reason!" she said angrily. As she turned back to face the others, Link could see the pain in her face. "I can't destroy it again. If I do, Ganondorf will kill all of my people once he realizes he's trapped. Even if he does know about the other portals, he'll still be angry, and I don't want that terror unleashed on the Twili."

Link stepped forward, looking up at his friend. "We'll go after him, Midna. I won't let him destroy your people."

Zelda sighed in apprehension. "The Twilight Realm is much different than this world. He spent decades there in his second imprisonment; he will know how to trap us and turn that world's energies against us."

Link turned to the Queen. "We'll just have to risk it. All three Triforce Bearers should be able to work together to counter anything Ganondorf can come up with."

Midna looked down at Nabooru. "I'm sorry, but I don't think you can come with us. Ordinary people can't survive in Twilight, just like my people can't survive in this world without protection. I don't want you to be turned into a monster or worse."

The raider nodded, sheathing her scimitar. "I understand. I am honored I was able to assist you as much as I have. I have no doubt you will prevail against the Accursed One once more."

Link and Zelda joined Midna on the stone platform, but Arnak paused, looking up at the Mirror of Twilight with a mixture of apprehension and simmering anger. "I fear this battle may be my last," he said finally.

Nabooru placed a hand on his arm, meeting Arnak's eyes with an expression Link was unable to interpret. "Make sure that it is not," she said, squeezing his arm. She half turned to look at the others. "I will remain here and wait for your return."

The raider placed a hand on her scimitar. "If it is not you who returns to this world, I will do what I can." She stepped back a few paces. "Farewell."

Arnak nodded and mounted the steps of the stone platform, coming up to stand next to his fellow Bearers and Midna. Link noticed that, while not exactly calm, the Bearer of Power was noticeably less angry now.

The big man gestured up at the swirling vortex projected on the plinth behind them. "We should go."

The others started up the glowing white steps that appeared in front of the Mirror, but Link noticed Arnak pause and look back at Nabooru before he broke into black squares and the others followed.

* * *

The Twilight Princess Midna was the first to step forward once the group had re-formed in the Twilight Realm, and she eagerly drank in the sight of her home, regardless of the circumstances in which she was returning to it.

The soft golden sky, aglow with an unseen luminosity, was covered with thick, swirling dark purple clouds. A dark band of horizon encircled the entire view, and the golden sky extended below as well as above it, covered by the ever-present clouds. Only islands of brown rock topped with towers of a dark gray stone broke the endless sky, the only features that could be seen.

The entire scene presented an air of calm, of serenity, and Midna felt a sense of peace wash over her before the tension returned and she was reminded of why she was here. This was the second time she had returned to her home after a long sojourn in the Light Realm to confront an enemy. As she looked around for her people, an icy tendril of fear wrapped around Midna's heart as she realized that the four of them were alone.

Ahead rose the imposing square-angled structure of the Palace of Twilight, blue-green lines swirling over its dark stone in symbols of her people, proclaiming whose home it was. Ordinarily, many Twili were moving back and forth between the three buildings of the palace, but all was deathly silent, and Midna's imagination went wild in wondering what Ganondorf had done with her people.

Beside her, the Three Bearers stepped forward, Arnak and Zelda looking around in wonder. Neither of them had ever seen this realm before, and were apparently captivated by its subdued beauty. Only Link joined her in searching the palace grounds for some sign of life, bringing out his Hawkeye to look at one of the distant floating islands.

All three of them were surrounded by a subtle golden glow, the effect of their Triforces working to protect them from the foreign energies that made up Midna's world. Beings from one world were not meant to be in another, especially two as radically different as the Light World and the Twilight Realm.

The Twilight Princess was the first to break the silence. "Do you see anything?" she asked, half dreading the answer.

Link shook his head. "Nothing. There's no one I can see."

Midna sighed, closing her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Link as he squeezed her arm once in a gesture of solidarity. She covered his hand with her own and squeezed back, taking a deep breath as she drew the Twilight Blade with her other hand.

She heard other swords slide free of their scabbards with a scraping of metal on leather, and the Three Bearers stepped forward to stand beside her. The four of them glanced around their loose circle at each other, nodding once before separating.

They set off down the path to the central building in the palace, Midna in the lead. The Twilight Blade sparkled with a silver light in her hand, and she could see the Master Sword's golden glow out of the corner of her eye.

With a deep, echoing chuckle, Ganondorf's voice surrounded them. "You have come to fight, then," he said, dark amusement coloring his tone.

"We have come to destroy your evil once and for all!" Arnak shouted back, looking around for the source of the voice. "Come out and face us, murderer!"

"Murderer?" rumbled the unseen Dark Lord. "An interesting choice of words, Bearer of Power. How many beings have you destroyed with your own power in pursuit of your goals?"

"Thousands less than you!" Zelda called to their foe. "Either by your own hand or that of your soldiers, you have caused the deaths of many to further your own evil plots. Do not dare to compare us to yourself!"

"I do not judge myself to be evil," Ganondorf replied, his deep voice echoing from the buildings surrounding them. "I judge myself to be one who is willing to take the appropriate measures to accomplish my goals. You have been no different in your quest against my descendant."

"Our measures do not include outright murder, Ganondorf!" Link shouted. "You committed that sin many times over the course of your life." The Hero's eyes narrowed as they searched the palace for his enemy. "You committed it when you trapped Erik to die at Raneses' hands, and you committed it when you destroyed the Twili."

Ganondorf laughed derisively, a deep, booming sound that assaulted them from all sides. "Your sword is sharper than your wit, boy. It is little wonder you required Midna's aid in your quest against me."

"What have you done with my people, monster?" Midna shouted in rage, her fingers tightening on the hilt of her sword.

"I have done nothing with them, little Midna," the Dark Lord's voice said in front of her, unamplified. Ganondorf levitated up over the side of the walkway to stand in front of them. "I have simply sent them to the far reaches of your realm, so that your misguided attempt to confront me does not destroy them all."

The Dark Lord drew himself up, sword held out to point at the four of them. "If you still insist on engaging me in battle, you may attack at any time. The result will be the same. The Triforce is mine."

Midna's reply was to leap forward, her sword aimed for Ganondorf's heart. He effortlessly deflected it, spinning to avoid Zelda's thrust before raising his arm to block Link's slash at his neck. Arnak leaped over the Dark Lord's head to attack him from behind, but Ganondorf smirked sardonically, blocking the big man's attack without even looking at him.

The Dark Lord was a masterful swordsman, and he easily held all four of them at bay, his blade moving through oddly graceful patterns that conveyed both skill and force at once, striking back at the Three Bearers and Midna as often as they struck at him. If Raneses had been an elk compared to their pack of wolves, then Ganondorf was a bear, showing the smaller creatures utter disdain as he batted them away, turning to avoid their attacks and smashing them aside with sheer strength when he could not.

Suddenly, Ganondorf lifted free of the ground and hovered up above them, the Sword of Darkness held above his head. A ball of red energy collected at its tip, and he hurled it down at the four of them, his cloak flapping out like a flag as he circled around them, summoning and throwing three more.

Arnak was the first to try and dodge the sphere of red energy, but it followed his movements, slamming into him with a crackling discharge that threw him entirely off his feet. Zelda also attempted to dodge the sphere the Dark Lord threw at her, but received similar treatment, red bolts of energy crackling over her body as she was thrown to the ground.

Midna threw an energy shield between herself and the ball, and the two hissed and spat with discharges as the ball impacted the shield. The two energies canceled each other out, and Midna made to hover up to the Dark Lord as Link batted his sphere back at Ganondorf with the Master Sword.

Ganondorf batted the sphere back, but its trajectory changed at the last second and it slammed into Midna instead, catching her by surprise and sending a tide of fiery agony sweeping through her body. She dropped, and upon hitting the ground, she saw Ganondorf speed straight for her.

He raised his dark blade to slash down, but suddenly a white blade pulsing with a powerful golden glow appeared before her eyes and caught the Dark Lord's strike. Sparks erupted from the point of contact as the two powerful swords strained against each other.

Finally, Ganondorf stepped away and brought the Sword of Darkness around in a sweeping arc at Link's neck. The Hero raised the Master Sword and struck back almost immediately after blocking, the sacred blade bound for Ganondorf's chest.

Midna watched Link engage the Dark Lord in earnest, flashes of pain still shooting through her from Ganondorf's energy sphere. The Bearers of Wisdom and Power were similarly incapacitated, trying to get to their feet and shake off the effects of the attack.

Link slashed again and again, his sword always in motion to strike at the Dark Lord, but Ganondorf blocked every single blow, lashing out with a boot to catch the Hero in the ribs when he tried to roll around to the warlord's back. Link got to his feet, but Ganondorf slammed his sword and shield aside with his own sword, spinning to catch the Hero in the face with an armored elbow.

The young warrior fell backwards, and Ganondorf moved in for the kill, but he was tackled from behind by Arnak, who punched him repeatedly in the chest and face with all the strength he could summon from the Triforce of Power. The stone actually cracked under the Dark Lord, and he grunted in pain before he finally managed to catch one of Arnak's blows in his hand.

He slowly forced Arnak's fist back, arm trembling from the strength he was exerting, but suddenly Ganondorf lashed out with his other hand and caught the Bearer of Power in the chin, throwing him almost into a full back-flip from the force behind the blow.

Ganondorf turned back to the Hero, but Link had regained his feet and was ready for him. The two exchanged a series of strikes, swords sparking each time they crashed together.

Drawing deeply on the Fused Shadows, Midna gathered energy and launched a beam of pure destructive power at the Dark Lord's back. Link slashed just as the beam left the Twilight Blade, distracting Ganondorf, and Midna's attack hit him straight on, throwing the warlord off his feet to tumble along the walkway, losing his sword along the way.

Just as he got to his feet, a Light Arrow hit the Dark Lord square in the chest, launched from Zelda's bow. The new attack threw Ganondorf to the ground again, and Arnak leaped in, his greatsword aimed for the warlord's heart.

The Bearer of Power was met with a boot to the chest as Ganondorf leaped to his feet, the Sword of Darkness flying into his grasp. Link charged in, and the two exchanged blows again before Arnak swung with all his might at the Dark Lord's back. The blow knocked Ganondorf forward, and Link sent the Master Sword in for a thrust, but the warlord blocked it and punched Link in the jaw, spinning the Hero entirely around. Blocking another strike from Arnak with his sword, Ganondorf kicked Link in the back, knocking him to the ground.

Midna sent another beam of energy down at him, accompanied by another Light Arrow from Zelda, but Ganondorf took off into the air again, snarling in anger.

"Enough of this!" he bellowed, raising the hand that contained the Triforce of Shadow to clench into a fist.

Link was first, the Hero groaning as he turned black and collapsed to the ground, his body rearranging itself into his wolf form. Arnak was next, his shout of rage becoming a roar as he shifted into a bear, swiping ineffectually at the sky with one of its paws.

Beside Midna, Zelda gasped in pain and dropped her bow, bringing her hands up to press against her head. She fell to the ground, her entire body turning black as it rearranged itself. A moment later, an enormous snowy white owl lay limply where Hyrule's Queen had been.

"What did you do?" Midna, the only one not affected, shouted up at Ganondorf.

The Dark Lord did not respond, opening his hand to bring it down in a sweeping gesture. The three animals, still moving about, suddenly froze, slowly moving into utter motionlessness.

Ganondorf spread his limbs wide, throwing back his head as three identical beams of golden energy streamed out of the frozen animals to impact him in the center of his chest. Midna could sense the energy draining from her friends to flow into the Dark Lord, and she knew what she had to do.

The warlord was practically aglow with the energy he had absorbed by the time Midna slammed with all the speed and force she could muster into the middle of his back, pushing forward through the air to smash him into the wall of the Palace of Twilight.

"Fool!" Ganondorf snarled, shoving her away. His voice echoed even more strongly now, sounding like thunder rumbling from his throat. "You have no idea how insignificant you are compared to me now. I could kill you in an instant!"

Midna reached out and insolently snapped her fingers under his nose, meeting his now powerfully glowing eyes with her own. "There's an instant! Why didn't you kill me?"

The Dark Lord shouted in wordless rage, sending her back with a powerful stream of golden energy. Midna met it with her own blue-green beam, and the powers of the Fused Shadows were pitted against the energies of the Triforce, the two of them hovering in mid-air as they pressed their strength against each other. Finally, they broke off, both hovering back a few feet to regroup.

Ganondorf resembled a wrathful god from the ancient legends as he sped forward, roaring in thunderous rage, his dark red cloak flowing behind him at the speed of his flight. He raised his sword over his head, his empty hand pointed at Midna as he came flying at her, promising death.

The Twilight Princess sheathed herself in the energies of her ancestors' creation, mirroring his position. She sped at him, shouting challenge.

The two met with an echoing discharge of energy, bright flashes of light dancing off the buildings of the Palace of Twilight as they struck at each other with both sword and power, tumbling through the air as they knocked one another back and forth across an invisible dividing line between them.

Ganondorf smashed a fist into her stomach with enough force to demolish a mountain, sending Midna back to crash through the wall of one of the outlying buildings of the Palace of Twilight. She drew on the power of the Fused Shadows like never before, setting her own eyes aglow with a powerful blue-green light as she slowed her uncontrolled flight, coming to a stop against the wall of a long room with deep alcoves lining the walls.

"Is that the best you can do?" Midna said mockingly, her own voice echoing thunderously now. Immensely powerful energy coursed through the Twilight Princess, turning her into a virtual goddess to match the Dark Lord's godlike power.

"You are indeed powerful," Ganondorf rumbled, floating through the hole to come to a landing in front of her. "But it is not enough. I wield the very Golden Power itself. You cannot hope to win!"

"Maybe not," Midna replied, "but I'm still going to fight!"

Ganondorf sneered, raising his empty hand. With a rumble, several large chunks of rubble lifted free of the ground and rocketed toward Midna. She dodged several, deflected a few of the smaller chunks with her sword, and sent one hurtling back at the Dark Lord, which he pulverized with a powerful swing of his blade.

Midna spun into a leaping slash, pouring energy into the Twilight Blade. It shone like a silver beacon as she brought it down upon the Dark Lord's blade, bolts of energy exploding from the point of contact to knock holes in the walls around them.

He flooded his own blade with power, setting it alight with an almost blinding red glow as he struck back, locking blades with her after three exchanges.

The titans, flowing with the energies of their respective worlds, matched their strength against each other, bolts of energy crackling in all directions as both strove to overcome the other through sheer strength.

The Twilight Princess and the Dark Lord locked eyes as well, blue-green beacons meeting golden searchlights as their contest became one of wills as well.

Finally, energy pouring out of him, Ganondorf began to inch forward. Midna redoubled her efforts, but he was overwhelmingly strong and he continued to advance, pushing her back. Her face contorted with effort as she poured every last ounce of energy she possessed into holding her ground, and Ganondorf was actually halted for a moment.

But, in the end, the Golden Power proved stronger, and Midna flew back into the solid stone wall, impacting it with crushing force. She slumped to the ground, feeling the energy that had flooded her flowing away as Ganondorf slowly approached, his sword raised for the final strike.

She knew she could not stop it.

* * *

Zelda was the first to recover. While the Dark Lord was distracted by his fight with Midna, she managed to overcome his hold and return herself to human form, stumbling down the path to where Link and Arnak lay still.

She felt weak, so weak, as if her very life was being drained away. The effort required to walk exhausted her, and Zelda collapsed next to Link's lupine body, reaching out a hand to touch his furred shoulder.

The wolf shifted, his angular head lifting from the ground to look at her. Closing his eyes, Link's jaws opened as he concentrated, and he finally turned black and began to shift back into human form. He rolled over and feebly slapped a hand against Arnak's leg.

The bear stirred, actually managing to stand. He looked over at the two of them and closed his eyes, turning black as he shifted back, also.

"What…what was that?" Arnak asked, trying to stand. His legs gave out, and he fell over, breathing heavily.

A loud explosion sounded from the direction of the left-hand building of the Palace of Twilight, and they saw a hole open in the wall, a golden-glowing shape slowly hovering into it, recognizable as Ganondorf.

Zelda took a deep breath, actively drawing on her Triforce. It felt sluggish and difficult, like trying to walk in thick mud.

"The Triforce of Shadow," Link said, still lying on the ground. "This is what it's meant for. Ganondorf made it, so he's able to use it just the way he intended."

"What can we do?" said Arnak. "We cannot fight him like this."

"We summon the Triforce as a whole," Zelda said. "It is our only option."

Link sat up, looking as if he had a massive headache, which he probably did, considering Zelda's own. "What will that do?" he asked.

"If the Triforce is joined as a whole," she replied, "whoever touches it first can make any wish they desire, and the gods will grant it. But, once this is done, we will not have our respective pieces returned to us. The Triforce will return to the Sacred Realm until the next time it is split."

"Should we take such a measure?" Arnak asked. "We will only get one chance, and we will have to make the wish count."

Zelda slowly stood, fighting away the waves of dizziness that threatened to topple her again. "It is our only viable course of action. As long as Ganondorf controls the Golden Power, we cannot fight against him. We must take it away."

Link got to his feet as well, breathing deeply to maintain his equilibrium. "Let's do it, then. Right now. Midna's fighting Ganondorf by herself, and she may not be able to last for long against all that power."

Their attention was attracted by the sound of thunderously echoing voices in heated exchange, followed by wild discharges of energy. Bright light flashed out of the hole in the wall, hinting at the terrible battle within.

"Is there anything we need to do?" Arnak said, leaning down to pick up his Goron-made greatsword.

"I will perform the summoning," Zelda said. "Of the three of us, I know the most about the Triforce as a whole."

Arnak looked down at his hand, at the triangular marking there. "I think it is good that I will no longer have this power. I do not think it is something I should have, and I do not like how I feel when I use it. If I simply let go, I know I would become a monster as terrible as Raneses or Ganondorf."

"And I'd have to be the one to fight you," Link said, looking over at him. "I don't even want to think about how that would go."

Arnak nodded. "I agree." He turned to Zelda. "Go ahead whenever you are ready."

She took a deep breath and concentrated, drawing on what she had learned in long hours of study in the Royal Archives. Many of her predecessors had recorded their experiences in great detail, and she knew what to do.

After a moment of concentration, the Triforce on her hand began to shine brightly. Moments later, the markings on Link and Arnak responded in kind, shining so brightly it appeared a halo surrounded their hands.

"Let us put an end to that which binds us together," Zelda said, looking over at her fellow Triforce Bearers.

* * *

Standing over Midna's prone body, the Dark Lord Ganondorf abruptly turned to face the direction of the place he had left the Three. He felt the Golden Power draining from his body, and he knew at once what they were doing.

Snarling in frustration and anger, Ganondorf vaulted out of the hole in the side of the building and ran for the Three, determined to lay hands upon the Triforce first.

* * *

Link watched as the marking on his hand vanished and the Triforce of Courage shot high into the air, joining its two counterparts in three meteor-like streaks of light. Strangely, he felt much stronger once it had, as if it had left all the energy it had absorbed during its symbiosis with him behind.

Arnak floated a foot into the air and set back down again. "Our powers are still ours to command," he said. "Why?"

Zelda shook her head, a puzzled frown on her face. "I do not know, but we must consider it an advantage. Where is the Triforce forming?"

Link followed the three streaks of light with his sharp eyes. "It looks like they're going inside the palace, though I can't see where." He sighed. "It figures this wouldn't be easy."

A moment after his words, Ganondorf landed heavily on his feet in the midst of them, brandishing the Sword of Darkness. "Where is it?" he demanded, pointing the dark blade at Zelda.

She remained silent, giving him a stony glare, and he started forward, but Arnak attacked, swinging his greatsword in a deadly arc for the Dark Lord's neck.

Ganondorf brought his dark blade up to counter, and the Three engaged the Dark Lord as one. As they began working together, they felt again the effect they had first observed when fighting the Antihero what seemed like ages ago in the pyramid deep in the desert. Their minds seemed to join until they were virtually one being in three bodies, their power flowing freely between them as needed.

For a few perfect moments, the Three Bearers moved in exact unison, moving only as needed, and they succeeded in slipping several blows through Ganondorf's defense, harrying him mercilessly. The Dark Lord moved faster and faster, lashing out with growing fury, but he could not hit any of them. They ducked his blows almost effortlessly, striking back in a barrage of steel.

Finally, Ganondorf summoned a tremendous amount of energy and blasted them all away with a telekinetic push, knocking the Three to the ground. As they were getting up, he clenched his fist again, and the Triforce of Shadow appeared on the back of his hand, glowing brightly.

Their unity broke, and the Three became individuals once more, suddenly finding they were again growing weaker.

Ganondorf sneered triumphantly. "This is always what the Triforce of Shadow has done; it drains the power from the _bearers_, not the pieces of the Triforce itself. Your efforts are futile!"

Screaming in rage, Arnak threw himself at Ganondorf, swinging wildly. Even the Dark Lord was forced back by the sheer fury of the Bearer of Power's attack, his concentration broken. The two enormous men traded blows, Ganondorf simply trying to keep his blade in his hand at the power of Arnak's assault. The big man poured all of his rage, all of his hate and fear and sadness and pain into his attack, throwing himself at the monster.

Ganondorf laughed, finally recovering himself to strike back with equal ferocity. "Exhilarating, isn't it?" the Dark Lord asked his successor as Bearer of Power. "Once you truly let yourself go, the Triforce of Power grants unimaginable strength. What you've done is but a taste of what is possible."

Arnak actually paused for a moment, stunned by the Dark Lord's words. Ganondorf swept his blade around Arnak's, taking advantage of his distraction, but the Sword of Darkness met only its sacred counterpart, the two swords sparking as they collided.

Link looked over their crossed blades at his enemy, silently meeting his eyes with determination in his own. Ganondorf glared down at him, anger twisting his face as he faced the only individual other than the Hero of Time to defeat him in combat.

Zelda stepped in front of the Bearer of Power, her sword held at her side as she looked over at the Dark Lord. "Arnak is not you, Ganondorf," she said. "I know him, and his heart has not been turned, like yours. He has no true darkness within him, and I do not believe he would become like you, so twisted by his own hate that he forgets why he sought his power to begin with."

She slowly stepped forward, sword still held at her side as Link kept Ganondorf back. "That is the crucial difference between you; Arnak did not seek his power. It was _given_ to him, and he did not want it. True, his anger is powerful, but," Zelda turned back to look at Arnak, "he does not let it control him, as you did."

Ganondorf sneered. "Save your speeches, Zelda. You will not persuade me; I will still possess the Golden Power, climbing over your corpses if need be."

With that, he shoved Link back and took off in flight, rocketing straight for the Triforce hidden by the walls of the Palace of Twilight. Arnak immediately followed, tackling him into the wall and smashing them both through it.

Zelda gestured at the main door to the central building with her sword. "Come, Link! If we hurry, we may be able to get to the upper levels before Ganondorf."

The Hero summoned the Icarus Wings from his 'pocket', securing them into place. He waved Zelda over. "I've got a faster way. Come on."

Hyrule's ruler nodded and sheathed her sword, stepping over to put her arms around his neck. Link picked her up, one arm under her knees and the other under her back, activating the magical flying device to speed them both for the hole in the wall of the Palace.

As they swooped through the hole, Link spotted another, made when either the Dark Lord or the Bearer of Power had thrown the other through a wall. Link followed the crashes until he saw the battling giants standing in the middle of the large hall just beyond the throne room, the enormous Twili royal seal on one wall a silent witness to their struggle.

His sword lying forgotten on the dark stone floor a few yards away, Ganondorf clasped his hands together and brought them down on the back of Arnak's neck. The big man stumbled, and the Dark Lord slammed a knee up into his gut, catching him in the jaw with a roundhouse punch on his way back up.

Arnak stumbled backwards but managed to keep his feet, knocking Ganondorf's next punch aside before returning it with a hard left to the Dark Lord's chin. Ganondorf's jaw slammed closed, and Link could hear teeth crack from the force.

Before the Hero reached them, Ganondorf hit Arnak with an uppercut, knocking him almost six feet straight up in the air. He took off in flight and hit the Bearer of Power with another uppercut using his other fist, knocking him further up. As Link and Zelda sped forward, the Dark Lord kept going, successively bashing the big man further and further up without letting him fall, until finally, he grabbed the front of Arnak's jerkin and drew his hand back for a final, powerful blow.

Ganondorf hurled his fist with all the strength he had into the center of Arnak's chest, sending him flying backwards to crash through the door of the throne room's lobby, shattering the door completely.

Link followed them up, trying to draw closer as Ganondorf touched down and walked slowly over to where Arnak lay among the wreckage of the door, trying to get up and coughing, blood flecking his dark beard.

"Throw me," Zelda said, gesturing at Ganondorf.

"What?!" spluttered Link, looking over at her.

"Throw me!" she repeated, a note of command in her voice.

He obeyed, hurling Zelda at the Dark Lord. As she landed on his back, wrapping her arms around his thick neck, Link swooped in and tackled Ganondorf at the knees, their combined weight and momentum sending the three of them to a heap on the ground.

Ganondorf punched at Link as he tried to get to his feet, but a huge hand grabbed hold of his arm. They looked up to see Arnak standing over them, and he suddenly turned and spun, hurling the Dark Lord into the door at the other end of the lobby. In a repeat of what he had done to Arnak, Ganondorf crashed through the door, demolishing it completely.

A powerful golden light shone out at this, and all four of the combatants saw the huge golden shape of the Triforce hovering in front of the throne, radiance pouring from it.

Ganondorf was closest to it, and he made to get to his feet, but Zelda jumped in front of Link, glancing back at him with a meaningful look. The Hero picked his ruler up and hurled her at the Dark Lord again, and she managed to knock him down, ruthlessly pummeling his unprotected head with her fists.

Arnak sprinted past them, but Ganondorf shot out a hand and caught him by the ankle, throwing the big man off balance to sprawl on the stone floor just in front of the steps of the throne's platform. The Dark Lord finally threw Zelda aside, trying to get up again, but Link ran forward and grabbed hold of his long cloak, yanking him back.

Ganondorf reached back and ripped the material away from his shoulders, taking another step forward, but Link jumped forward and wrapped his fingers around the collar of the Dark Lord's armor, pulling him back toward the door. Ganondorf slammed his elbow into Link's gut, but Zelda shoved him backwards as the Hero fell, and he tripped over Link, landing heavily on the young warrior.

Arnak got to his feet, but Ganondorf hooked a foot around the big man's ankle and sent him to the ground again. Determinedly, Arnak got up again, and Link rolled over to wrap one arm around Ganondorf's neck to keep him from pulling forward, but the Dark Lord got to his feet, pulling the Hero free of the ground.

Link slammed his fist repeatedly into Ganondorf's jaw, still doggedly hanging on with his other arm, but the Dark Lord reached back with one hand to grab Link by the collar of his tunic, hauling him over his shoulder to slam his knee into the Hero's back on the way to the ground.

Hand stretched out in front of him, Arnak mounted the steps of the throne, and when Ganondorf ran after him, Zelda tackled him from behind. In desperation, Link shoved up on the Dark Lord's bent knee and sent him and Zelda tumbling back down the steps, Ganondorf howling in fury as he fell.

At hearing a strong resonating chime, like an enormous bell had been struck, Zelda, Ganondorf, and Link looked up at the Triforce with expressions of joy, unbridled fury, and relief, respectively, watching Arnak lay his hand upon the sacred relic.

Snarling with rage, Ganondorf jumped to his feet and ran forward, but was stopped by Arnak's words, his voice echoing as he uttered his fateful wish:

"Take away my enemies' power!" Arnak said, shouting the words to the heavens.

All was silent for three heartbeats, and then the enormous golden triangle made up of three smaller triangles resonated with a loud, clear chime, a bright halo of light flashing out at the same time. The three triangles separated and flew upwards, quickly vanishing out of sight in the shadows gathered at the ceiling.

The effects of the wish were instantaneous and far-reaching.

* * *

All Oocca all over the world suddenly squawked in terror as their wings vanished completely, sending those unfortunate enough to be flying plummeting for the ground below without warning. All offensive weaponry on their fortresses self-destructed, taking any operators and nearby munitions with them in millions of explosions scattered over the globe.

The Oocca, currently the strongest military power on the planet, were crushed instantly, everything that gave them an advantage destroyed by the Golden Power.

* * *

Every monster gathered near Castle Town that had not given up suddenly found themselves without armor or weapons, falling by the hundreds before the weapons of the Hero's Army. What remained of the battle became a complete rout, Raneses' army suddenly unable to offer any resistance whatsoever to their enemies.

Elsewhere, in battles scattered all across the globe, the rest of the Dark Lord's armies found themselves similarly powerless, and those whom they were attempting to conquer rose up against them, taking instant action in the face of their sudden good fortune. Thousands upon thousands of those unfortunate enough to have sworn allegiance to Raneses fell against the fury and pent-up frustration of those they had overpowered, helpless as a result of Arnak's wish.

* * *

The effects were also seen in the throne room of the Palace of Twilight as the Dark Lord Ganondorf howled in defiance, clutching his hand as the gray light from his creation vanished, shrinking into his hand before a small black triangle suddenly flew free, tumbling through the air to shatter into a thousand shards on the floor.

Ganondorf, mortal once more, screamed in rage and frustration, rounding on Link and Zelda lying against the steps of the throne behind him with murder in his eyes.

He was met with a sword to the chest, the silver blade sparkling as it was shoved right through the breastplate of his armor.

The Dark Lord looked down into the ruby eyes of the one wielding the sword, his own amber orbs widening in surprise.

"That's the second time you've thought you've killed me and been wrong," said Midna, pushing the Twilight Blade in deeper. "It'll be the last."

Yanking her sword free, the Twilight Princess threw her hand forward and planted it, fingers spread wide, on Ganondorf's chest, just above the wound. Their eyes met, and she held his gaze for a long heartbeat before she loosed the most powerful stream of energy she had ever channeled, blasting him backwards through the wall of the throne room to tumble out of sight into the endless sky outside.

Midna stood frozen in the same position, watching him fall for several long moments. Finally, when she was sure he was gone, she lowered her hand, turning with a light-hearted smirk to the other three people in the room with her.

"Boy," she said, looking around at the devastation that had been wreaked upon the Palace of Twilight, "you guys sure made a mess out of my house. I ought to make you clean it up."

Link was the first to laugh, and was soon followed by Arnak and Zelda, Midna joining in as the four of them vented their relief and outright joy at having finally vanquished the last of their foes.

The war was well and truly over, and peace had come at last.

* * *

Author's Note: One more chapter and an epilogue follow this, and then that's it, folks. Thanks to all readers and reviewers.

(Revision Note: A bit of minor rewording in a few places, and a few additional lines of dialogue in order to improve the flow and clarify a few things.)


	44. Sunrise

Forty-Four

They were certainly a rough-looking bunch, Midna thought. All four of them had been through a series of titanic battles today, and they certainly looked like it.

Link, who sat against the decorative railing lining the steps up to the throne, probably looked the worst. His face was a mass of cuts and bruises, and his body was probably in similar condition. The trademark green tunic had slowly been repairing itself over the course of the last few minutes, even the bloodstain that had marred the chest vanishing under its enchantment.

Arnak came close to outdoing him in terms of the sheer amount of bruises visible, most of them concentrated on his face and many more visible through his open jerkin and tunic. Ganondorf had given him a spectacular pounding, something a man not gifted with the Triforce of Power would not have survived. Dried blood ran from his nostrils and the corners of his mouth to vanish into his beard, and he sat at the base of the staircase, his eyes closed as he leaned his head against the railing.

Zelda sported a large bruise on her cheek that was the rival of any of those on her counterparts, and she moved slowly, favoring her left side as she sat down next to Link. Her dark clothes had been ripped in a few places, and her hair had come loose, falling in disordered brown locks around her face.

Midna knew she probably didn't look much better. Ganondorf had pounded her just as mercilessly as the others, probably worse, and she could barely see out of one eye. Sitting on her throne, the Twilight Princess reached up a hand to wipe some dried blood away from the corner of her mouth, rubbing the silver-blue residue on her robe.

Ganondorf had been dead, or so they hoped, for more than fifteen minutes, which they had spent resting from their fierce battle with him. Midna sincerely hoped he was dead for good this time.

With a sudden flash of bright golden light at the door to the throne room, three figures, difficult to make out in the brightness, stepped forward, walking side by side. The four of them raised their hands in front of their eyes, trying to shield them from the brilliance.

As the light faded, the figures were slowly revealed to be three women dressed in long robes of red, blue and green, their faces similar enough that they were obviously sisters despite the differences in their appearance.

Link and Zelda made to get to their feet, but the woman dressed in blue raised a hand, motioning them back down. "Rest," she said, her voice clear and almost musical. "You have earned it." She smiled gently at them, her crystal-blue eyes filled with approval.

The woman in red, the tallest of the three, moved to stand in front of Arnak, smiling down at him with pride in her rich brown eyes. Her midnight-black hair fell over her shoulders as she leaned forward slightly.

"Your wish has been granted, my child," she said, her voice somehow both strong and pleasing to the ear at the same time. "You have proved a much worthier bearer of my power than its previous master."

Midna knew who the three women had to be, and she got to her feet, moving down the steps to stand before the Goddesses. This was an unbelievable honor, and she drew herself up, trying to be as dignified as her disheveled condition allowed.

The golden-haired goddess robed in green, Farore, moved forward and caught Midna by surprise by embracing her warmly. "You have been an invaluable aid to Link," she said, "and I thank you deeply for this."

"Uh…you're welcome?" Midna said, totally taken off guard.

Nayru looked at each of the four in turn, meeting their gaze with her clear blue eyes. "You have saved two worlds," she began. "Some of you for the second time." Here she smiled, an expression at once grateful and amused. "As reward for this, you may all now move between them freely, even though the Golden Power is no longer yours to bear."

Zelda turned to face the goddess, a puzzled look on her face. "We kept our powers after I summoned the Triforce. Why?"

Nayru gave the Goddess of Courage a gently disapproving look. "That was Farore's doing. She was convinced that the Three could not have defeated Ganondorf without their power."

"She was right," Arnak said, his voice slightly muffled as he pressed a hand to his jaw. He looked over at the green-robed goddess. "For that, I cannot thank you enough."

Farore nodded once in acknowledgment, smiling slightly. She walked over to Link and touched his cheek as he got to his feet. His wounds vanished at her touch, and she smiled fondly at him. Similarly, the bruises and cuts disappeared on the other three mortals, a subtle golden glow flashing momentarily.

"You are released from our service, Link," Farore told the Hero. "You may now live your life in any way you choose." She leaned in to kiss his forehead, holding his shoulders as she leaned back. "If the need arises for a Hero again in your lifetime, we will choose another. May you find happiness in your life, Link."

Nayru stepped forward and clasped Zelda's hands in her own. "Ruling our chosen land is a weighty responsibility. To you, I gift the powers you had as Bearer of Wisdom, yours to keep for the rest of your life. Use them to guide your country back into a prosperous nation once more."

"Thank you," Zelda said, meeting the Goddess' eyes with gratitude in her own.

"And you," Din said to Arnak. "Would you keep the power you bore?"

He shook his head. "No. I ask only…" He paused, taking a deep breath. "I ask only that you let me have my family back."

Din shook her head sadly. "I cannot do that, my child. They are gone."

At his crestfallen look, she laid a hand on his shoulder. "But, if you wish it," she said, "you can still find happiness, when you are ready."

Arnak nodded, sadness still upon his face. "Thank you," he replied. "I understand."

The Three Goddesses stepped back to stand beside each other again. "You have served us well," said Din. "You have our eternal gratitude and blessing."

"We will smile upon whatever efforts you pursue," Nayru said. "Prosperity and peace will come to your kingdoms."

Farore smiled fondly at them. "You have our love, as well. Farewell."

With another bright flash of golden light, they disappeared, leaving the four of them alone again.

"Well," Midna said, gesturing for the door, "You should probably go back to Hyrule and let everyone know the good news."

Link looked over at her. "You're not coming with us?" he asked. No one but Midna could have noticed the hint of pain in his expression.

"No," she said, gesturing around at the half-wrecked palace. "I have to stay here and get things settled down. My people need me." She grinned. "But let me know when the party is. I'll definitely be coming back for that."

He smiled as well. "Okay."

After a last round of farewells, Midna saw her friends off to the other end of the portal created by the Mirror of Twilight. She watched them fade into black squares, returning back to their world, and she turned with a heavy heart to look at her home.

Midna sighed heavily as she surveyed the wreckage. The Palace of Twilight had suffered heavy damage in the battle with Ganondorf, and it would take much work to restore it. She walked slowly up the path to the main entrance, looking at all the holes made in the buildings, and was deep in thought when she suddenly heard a disbelieving gasp from behind her.

Midna turned to see a Twili man, tall and thin, suddenly fall to his knees, looking up at her with unbridled happiness. Behind him, dozens more Twili were flying in, looking around at the palace before they saw her.

Their voices joined in a chorus of happiness and questions, asking her where she had been and later, why she had stayed away for so long.

Midna told them in full detail, finally promising hours later that she would never disappear from them again, and that she would return peace to their realm.

They welcomed her back, and together, they began to rebuild their world.

* * *

Zelda watched as the Mirror of Twilight fell silent behind them, waiting to be used again. Beside her, Link gazed at the polished disk with a wistful expression, smiling finally.

"What is it?" she asked him.

He turned away from the Mirror, taking a deep breath. "Oh, nothing," he replied. "Just glad it's still there this time."

She nodded, understanding completely. She had been as surprised as Link when Midna had shattered the Mirror of Twilight a year ago, effectively cutting their worlds apart forever, or so they had thought.

Arnak was noticeably calmer now, and he moved with a lightness in his step, as though he had just been relieved of a heavy burden. He looked up at the sky, sighing deeply as he looked at the silent shipyards overhead, surrounded by Viserys' ships.

Nabooru emerged from where she had been waiting, hidden around the corner in the passage leading to the interior of the former prison. Her scimitar was in her hand, but she sheathed it as she saw them, and a broad smile spread across her face.

"The Accursed One?" she asked hopefully.

Link nodded. "Dead."

She sighed with relief, smiling again as she made her way over to them.

Arnak returned her grin, but his broad smile slowly faded as he looked down at something on the ground in front of him, and Zelda descended the stone steps of the platform to see what it was.

The sight gave her pause, and she felt Link stop beside her.

On the ground in front of Arnak was an Oocca, completely still. Its wings were gone, and the feathered creature lay in a crumpled heap on the sand, obviously dead. It bore no weapons, Zelda realized, and she wordlessly looked over at Link. The Hero nodded once, gesturing subtly behind him to another Oocca sprawled on the sand next to the Mirror of Twilight's platform.

Arnak frowned as he examined the creature, silently looking up at the Oocca shipyards floating far over their heads. His expression combined equal parts realization and sadness, and he turned to look at the others.

"This is because of my wish," he said. He looked down at the dead Oocca again. "I…" He broke off, frowning again.

Nabooru touched his arm. "Do not concern yourself with this. We should return to Hyrule to let your army know of your victory."

Arnak nodded distractedly, still looking at the body.

Zelda turned to Link. "Do you still have the power Midna gave you?"

He nodded. "I'll take us to Castle Town."

* * *

Upon their arrival at the capital, the four of them were greeted by an overjoyed Hero's Army, and its commanders quickly filled them in on what had happened while they were gone. In return, the four of them told their allies of the fall of the Dark Lords, the exchange of information occupying most of the rest of the day.

The four of them were allowed a few hours' rest before being swept up in a multitude of duties that sent them in separate directions. Zelda stayed behind in Castle Town with part of the Hero's Army to survey the damage done to the capital during the occupation, organizing the first cleanup. Nabooru and the other Gerudo aided her in this. Arnak joined Link and the rest of the people the Hero had led into battle in organizing the surrender of Raneses' army. King Bulblin had taken command of what was left, being the highest ranking surviving member of the Dark Lord's forces even though he had switched sides. Link and his former nemesis worked in an uneasy truce to make sure none of the monsters that had been under Raneses' command attempted to flee the field to cause trouble.

Two days were spent in this way before the leadership of the enemy was finally gathered together, representatives from each of the groups that had been under the Dark Lord's command assembling along with Link, Zelda, Viserys and the Matriarch in the entrance hall to the inner keep of Hyrule Castle. Arnak and Nabooru remained in the city, still aiding in the cleanup.

A table had been salvaged from somewhere and now sat in the middle of the enormous hall, the lit chandeliers providing the relatively undamaged room with a soft light. Zelda sat at the head of the table, wearing her robes of state, and Link stood behind and to the right of her chair, pointedly remaining on his feet with his arms crossed over his chest. Viserys and the Matriarch sat next to her on either side.

King Bulblin sat at the other end of the table, representing the monsters in Raneses' service, and a long-haired human warrior in intricately engraved armor sat to his right. An Oocca with pure white feathers sat to the Bulblin commander's left, looking dignified and also apologetic. A golden-armored Darknut stood behind King Bulblin, mirroring Link's posture. He had identified himself as Toras, the Darknuts' king before Raneses defeated him in battle. He had been nearby, in Holodrum, and had come as quickly as he could, arriving only a few hours earlier.

"The Sovereign Kingdom of Hyrule accepts your surrender," Zelda began, "and promises no retaliation as long as any further hostilities are suspended. We will allow you to leave our country, provided you swear to never again return with intent to conquer."

"We so swear," said Toras, bowing his crown-shaped helmet once. The other commanders followed with nods.

King Bulblin rose to his feet, and Link studied him as he attempted to straighten his patchwork armor into something a little more dignified. He failed, but his expression was still sincere.

"The Bulblins swear fealty to Link the Hero," King Bulblin said. "We will do whatever you command."

Zelda glanced up at the Hero. He met her gaze before looking up at King Bulblin. "You can start by helping us rebuild," Link replied. "After that, consider yourselves Zelda's subjects. Obey her instead."

King Bulblin nodded and sat down again.

The long-haired human warrior rose to his feet, placing his hands on the table. So far, Link had been unable to communicate with the human warriors who had fought for Raneses, as none of them spoke Hylian that he could find. Even if some did, most of them refused to even meet his gaze, wearing expressions of shame in varying degrees.

"We are deeply shamed by our actions," the man began in slightly accented Hylian. "Raneses manipulated his way into being proclaimed the king of our nation through ritual combat, and he commanded us to fight for him. By our most sacred traditions, we could not refuse."

Toras nodded, his face hidden behind his helmet, but his body language suggesting regret. "It was the same for my people. We once served Ganondorf, and a few of us stayed behind in Hyrule, awaiting his return. Those were slain by the Hero." He looked over at Link. "I will take my people back to our homeland, and we will never again set foot in Hyrule."

The human warrior continued. "My people will return to our homeland, also. We ask that you forget our misdeeds in the Dark Lord's service, and we, too promise that we will not return to your country. The Jo'Shaan will never again trouble the nation of Hyrule, nor will we allow ourselves to be subjected to such a wicked king."

Zelda nodded graciously. "I thank you. We look forward to peace between our peoples."

The Jo'Shaan warrior resumed his seat, and the white-feathered Oocca slowly stood, looking over at Zelda and Viserys.

"We have much to answer for," she began, "and we cannot take back what Kyron made our people do. He has been dealt with by your Golden Power." At Link's questioning look, the sky being clarified her statement. "Our ruler was among those who fell when our wings were taken. We consider this a just punishment for our crimes."

The sky being gestured at the other end of the table with one feathered hand, bowing her head. "Though most of our people served the Dark Lord unwillingly, there were those who took up his cause without being coerced. We are shamed by this, as we were a peaceful people for millennia before Kyron and Raneses executed their plan. We had abandoned our ways of conquest after our slaves rebelled and freed themselves."

She took a deep breath. "Thus, we will devote ourselves to helping those we conquered rebuild. We will use our full resources in returning this world to peace as quickly as possible." The sky being smiled ruefully. "Perhaps, one day, we will earn back our wings."

The white-feathered Oocca turned to Viserys. "Until that time, you and your people may have the shipyards you captured. We ask only that you help us return to our cities."

The Mercenary King nodded his assent.

Zelda began to push back her chair to stand, but the Matriarch rose and stepped over to join Hyrule's former enemies.

"The Gerudo, too, were forced to serve the Dark Lord, the Nameless One, and I must apologize on our behalf," she said. "As with the Accursed One before him, he led our people into ruin, and as with these others," she gestured at those behind her, "we will have to deal with the consequences of our rulers' actions."

The Matriarch gestured to Zelda and Link. "Our peoples have existed in animosity for centuries, and I wish to end that today. As the Oocca have started anew, so shall we. I formally request a peace between the Gerudo and the Hylians."

Zelda rose to her feet, moving to clasp the other ruler's hand. "It is granted. May there be a renewed spirit of friendship between our peoples."

The Matriarch touched one fist to the opposite shoulder and bowed slightly. "Thank you."

Zelda dismissed the meeting, and the gathered beings left to rejoin their respective groups. Only Link remained behind, and he and Zelda looked up at the castle's entry hall, noting the damage to the walls and decorations. Some was from the most recent assault, but some dated back to Zant's siege of the castle, still not yet repaired.

"I am setting my coronation for two weeks from today," Zelda said, clasping her hands behind her back as she stood next to Link. "I ask that you stand with me in the place of honor." She looked over at him. "Even if the Goddesses have released you from their service, you are still a valuable symbol to the people."

Link nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty."

He made to leave, but she caught his arm and warmly embraced him. "You have been an invaluable ally to me and to my country," Zelda said. She pulled back and met his eyes. "And a good friend. This will not go unrewarded."

"Thank you," Link said.

"Now," she said, folding her hands in front of her, "go home to your family, Link. I will send a messenger when it is time for you to return."

Link bowed and walked out of the castle, a deep feeling of peace and relief in his heart.

* * *

Arnak stood in the central square of Castle Town, at the top of the steps leading to the castle, uneasily meeting the eyes of the Oocca standing in front of him. Though he did not know her name, he did know that she was now the leader of the Sky People in place of the fallen Kyron.

The white-feathered being sighed. "I had hoped I would get to speak to you today. I recognize you, you know."

Arnak nodded slowly. "I fought in several battles against your people, including the capturing of the shipyards."

The Oocca chuckled without humor. "Yes, you caused quite a bit of destruction there. Viserys will have a hard job getting the facility repaired enough to be usable." She smoothed the feathers on her arms, sadness in her expression from her missing wings.

She met his eyes. "I recognized you from a raid I was part of a year ago. Under Raneses' control, I was one of those who attacked your village. I remember you because I had been forced to drop a bomb on a house in the village, regardless of my attempts to resist. The house was destroyed, and you came running up to it." The Oocca looked away, sighing quietly. "I will never forget the expression on your face as you realized what had happened."

The sky being looked up at him again. "You must believe me; I would never have done such a thing on my own, and in fact I tried as hard as I could not to. I have…" She paused, swallowing. "I have done many things I will never forget during this war, and even though I know I and the rest of my people are not responsible for what we have done, I will make sure we spend as long as it takes to make up for all the lives we destroyed."

Arnak said nothing, looking back at the sky being with fury he strove to keep contained. Here before him was the murderer of his wife and unborn children!

He felt a hand on his arm, and he turned to see Nabooru, her green eyes meeting his own with concern. Arnak's anger slowly ebbed away, vanishing like water down a drain.

No, he realized. Though this being had dropped the bomb that destroyed his life, she was not Mara's murderer. The woman standing beside him had helped to slay his wife's true killer.

Arnak sighed, turning back to the Oocca. "I am the one responsible for your people losing your wings. If you can forgive me for that, I can forgive you for…" He paused. "For what the Dark Lord forced you to do."

The Oocca extended a hand, and Arnak shook it, keeping his grip gentle.

As the sky being departed, Nabooru smiled approvingly, touching his arm. "Not all wounds can be healed so easily," she said, gesturing to the battle-damaged city around them. "There will be those who cannot be as forgiving as you."

Arnak nodded slowly, watching the Oocca walk away. "My crime outweighed hers," he said as he met Nabooru's gaze. "The Oocca had already surrendered by the time I made my wish, and hundreds of innocents no longer being controlled by the Dark Lord fell to their deaths."

She reached up to squeeze his shoulder. "You had no way of knowing that at the time. The good you did in helping to defeat the Dark Lords far surpasses any supposed crime."

Arnak sighed. "Does it?" He gestured at the departing sky being. "I killed hundreds of her kind during the war, including those who died when their wings were taken. I have committed an atrocity on the level of any of those committed by Raneses or Ganondorf."

Nabooru's expression turned serious. "You have _not_!" she said emphatically. "I could not respect a murderer, and that is one thing you are not. I still… respect you."

She put an odd emphasis on 'respect', and Arnak met her eyes again, suddenly understanding from her expression what she meant.

"It is… too soon," he said. "I am not ready."

Nabooru gently touched his arm. "I can wait," she said softly.

With that, she turned and walked away, and Arnak watched her go, his thoughts swirling.

* * *

A week before the coronation, at Majacen's request, Link met the wizard and Val at Ordon Spring. The two of them were waiting for him at the edge of the pool, and Link approached them with a smile on his face, breathing in the crisp fall air as he looked up at the changing leaves of the trees framing the spring. He pulled his jacket a little closer about him, rubbing his hands together. As he did so, he glanced at the back of his left hand, still getting used to the absence of the Triforce marking that had been there as long as he could remember. The softly glowing Twili lines were now the only indication he was something other than an ordinary young man.

That, and the thick, ugly scar in the center of his chest, which had a twin on his back. The Goddesses had healed that wound as well as the rest, but the scars remained, a permanent reminder of how close he had come to death. The wound should have been mortal, and would have been, without intervention.

Link pushed these dark thoughts from his mind as he approached the others, waiting under one of the orange-and-yellow-leafed trees.

"Hello, Link," Majacen said, extending a hand. Link shook it, and the wizard gestured at his companion. "We wished to speak with you."

The young warrior nodded. "Sure." He gestured back through the gates of the spring. "Come back to my house, and we can sit by the fire. I was just about to have lunch."

Link and Majacen chatted amiably on the way back to Link's house, but Val remained silent, her expression faintly sad. Link led them inside and gestured for the two of them to take a seat while he ladled out three bowls of the soup he had sitting on his stove to keep warm.

The two emissaries accepted the meal, and the three of them sat around Link's small table. They ate in silence for a few moments, and Link patiently waited for one of them to speak.

Val was first. "Erik is…" She paused. "His people came and got him… after Midna sent me back to Hyrule."

Link nodded, keeping his expression friendly to show Val that he didn't blame her for the Sheikah warrior's death.

"I…" Val stopped again and swallowed. "I'm… sorry for what happened. You have to believe I didn't mean for anything like that to happen."

Link nodded again. "I know. It's not your fault."

She sighed shortly, as if trying to say something, but she was unable to summon the words.

"Hey," Link said gently. "It's not your fault. You were just trying to help. I'm sure Erik knew that."

Val nodded slightly. "I just… I just wish I hadn't done anything. Din said you needed my help, but Nayru thought I wasn't ready. I was only two years into my training, so she was probably right."

"Still," said Majacen, "the Three chose you for a reason, just as they did me. I was unsure of my powers at first, but I reasoned that the Goddesses knew what they were doing and trusted in them. Perhaps they have a larger plan in store for you."

"Tell me a bit about yourself," Link said. "We did work together a little."

"Well," Val began, "I was a Sheikah originally. I don't know much about my predecessor, only that he was killed two years ago. I was summoned to take his place, and I was told that even though the Three Bearers were separated and at peace then, a war between them was coming and I would be needed. I wasn't ready when Ganondorf launched his invasion through Zant, but Nayru said that you were strong enough to stop them without my help, since you had Midna with you. But, Farore said that a worse war was coming, and you would need my help against the Triforce of Shadow."

She gestured at Link with one hand. "I would have been able to help you resist its effects, but you were still able to win anyway. I know how to block the energies Ganondorf used to drain your powers, so it would have been at least an easier fight."

Link nodded. "It was incredibly difficult. I wish I hadn't let Midna send you off so quickly, but we can't change what's in the past."

Majacen smiled slightly under his thick beard. "There are few who can, aside from one of your predecessors."

Link chuckled shortly at the wizard's statement before he turned to face Val again. "You mentioned that 'Val' wasn't your full name once," he said. "Do you mind if I ask what it is?"

She actually appeared to be somewhat embarrassed for a moment. "It's ah… long." She paused for a moment. "Valakyriena."

"That's an interesting name," Link said. "Does it mean something?"

Val nodded. "The Goddesses gave it to me when they gave me my power. Farore said I needed a new name to reflect my new position, and that's what she picked."

Majacen also nodded, turning to her. "'Majacen' is not my original name, either. Nayru gave it to me."

Link got up to put his bowl in the sink. He turned back to the table and extended his hand to Val. She shook it, and he was surprised at the strength of her grip. By all appearances, she seemed to be a slender girl about his own age, albeit one who was clearly a warrior. But, he could tell from her handshake, physically, she was stronger than he was.

"Well," he said, "thank you for coming to talk to me. I'm sure that you'll be a great ally to the next Hero, whenever he or she comes along."

Majacen smiled as he rose, warmly clasping Val's shoulder. "Until then, I will continue your training, and we will help Hyrule return to prosperity over the course of Zelda's reign and her successors' as well."

Link nodded. "Speaking of that, I hope to see both of you at the coronation next week."

Majacen smiled and nodded. "We will be there," he said. He gestured to the door. "We have things we must do, so we will leave you now."

Val started for the door after Majacen, but she paused just before she stepped over the threshold. "Thank you," she said, turning back to look at Link. "For not blaming me for what happened."

"Of course," he replied.

Val nodded, and she and Majacen descended the ladder at the front of Link's house and walked off along the path to Ordon Spring.

Link watched them go, breathing in the scent of the leaves and the earth. His attention turned to Ordon and the frames visible as the villagers worked to rebuild their homes. A few houses had escaped the destruction, and the people of Ordon shared them as they worked on their own homes.

Link saw his mother approaching through the gate, and he jumped down the ladder to meet her.

Nomi looked off down the path the emissaries had taken. "Who were your visitors?"

"Some friends from Hyrule," he said. "You remember Majacen?"

She nodded, putting her hands in the pockets of her coat. "Well, come on, Link. We need your help back in the village. Rusl's almost ready to raise his walls, and we need your muscles." Nomi's eyes twinkled as she nudged his arm with her elbow.

Link laughed and followed her back into the village.

* * *

The day of Zelda's coronation arrived at last, and the parade began a few hours before noon. The autumn air was brisk, and those gathered along the streets of Castle Town bundled up in coats and cloaks, pressed against each other in eager anticipation. Nearly all the citizens of Hyrule had packed themselves into the capital, gathered on rooftops and hanging out of windows when they couldn't fit into the streets.

Link rode at the head of the column of riders that preceded Zelda's carriage, dressed in his Hero's Clothes, which had been washed and tidied. He'd polished his chain-mail and his boots, and had even allowed one of the castle servants to trim his hair. The Master Sword hung from his hip, and a long, wide cloak of dark forest green hung from his shoulders, draped over Epona's hindquarters as he sat tall in the saddle.

The commanders of the Hero's Army rode behind him, and behind them came those who had proved themselves of exceptional valor in the Battle of Castle Town and the overall war, marching in step behind the riders.

Jugglers and dancers preceded Zelda's carriage, followed by minstrels who sang ballads they had composed about the war and drummers who kept time for the marchers. The carriage itself was ornate, painted white with silver ornaments and decorated prominently with the Royal Family's crest. It was drawn by four white horses, and the curtains were closed, Hyrule Soldiers in full dress uniform marching in formation around it with their spears on their shoulders.

The procession began at the southern gate and turned left, the Hero and the others waving to the cheering people as they wound their way through the streets, turning to go around the fountain in the central square and down the eastern street before turning back into the central square where it looped around to the south. They circled around the fountain in the opposite direction and headed up the path to the castle, keeping a slow pace as the people of Hyrule cheered and tossed flowers to the riders.

When they finally reached the courtyard of the castle, Link and the other riders dismounted, handing the reins to pages that led their mounts off to the castle stables. They gathered on the steps in front of the main doors to the inner keep, waiting for Zelda's carriage to arrive. The courtyard was similarly packed with people, crowded into every available space and not caring if they were uncomfortable. Today was a joyous occasion for all the people of Hyrule.

Majacen waited in front of the doors, dressed in richly embroidered robes in the Royal Family's colors, the winged Triforce prominently displayed on the sleeves and the chest, though the wizard's long beard partially covered it. Colin stood next to him, holding a pillow on which the crown rested. The boy stood very still, his eyes focused on the treasure in front of him as if concentrating on not dropping it.

The other members of the Hero's Company stood to either side of the wizard, two steps down. Nabooru joined them in the place of honor for her efforts in the final battle with Raneses, and an open space was purposely left for Erik to commemorate his sacrifice.

Link smiled as Midna moved to stand next to him from where she had been waiting next to the wizard, nudging his arm with her elbow.

"Hey, you clean up nice," she murmured, winking quickly at him.

"Thanks," he said, still facing the crowd. "You don't look too bad yourself."

He glanced over to see Midna smile playfully at him. "Hey," she said, "I always look this good. You're the one who's perpetually scruffy-looking."

Link opened his mouth to reply, but just then Zelda's carriage arrived and the crowd fell silent. Slowly, the white horses pulled the carriage just in front of the steps, and a coachman opened the door facing Link and the others.

Assisted by one of the soldiers forming a ring around the carriage, Zelda emerged from the carriage, looking every inch a queen. She was dressed in a fancier, more colorful version of her gown of state, her hair elaborately braided and awaiting the crown. She looked so different from the way she had looked on their journey that for a moment Link wasn't sure he was looking at the same woman.

She moved with a regal grace to stand at the top of the steps in front of the doors to the keep, and at a subtle gesture, the driver pulled the carriage out of the way, revealing her to the crowd. An awed hush fell over the gathered Hyrulians, and several moments of silence passed as everyone stood still.

Finally, Zelda turned to face Majacen, who turned to Colin and picked up the crown. Zelda bowed her head, and the wizard held the crown aloft to let the people see it.

It was made of finely wrought gold with silver intertwined through the graceful curves of the band. At the front was a golden Triforce symbol, and directly opposite it was a large, circular red ruby. On either side were mounted an emerald and a sapphire, encircled by delicate leaves of gold and silver. Legend had it that this crown had been in the Royal Family ever since the Nohansen dynasty had assumed the throne nearly four hundred years ago.

Slowly, Majacen lowered the crown until it rested on Zelda's head, bowing as she straightened. She turned to face the crowd, and a herald blew a series of notes on a trumpet. After he finished, another group of trumpeters joined in and played the notes again, after which Majacen stepped forward.

"Presenting Queen Zelda Nohansen Hyrule VII, Rightful and Just Ruler of the Sovereign Kingdom of Hyrule, Blessed by the Goddesses!" he proclaimed, spreading his arms.

The crowd cheered, clapping their hands in a round of applause that lasted for a full three minutes. Link and the others joined in, and when the cheers and applause finally subsided, Zelda stepped forward and waited for silence.

The crowd listened respectfully as their ruler began her speech. "I thank you," she began. "Not just for your support here today, but for steadfastly standing behind us as we worked to free our nation from our conquerors." Here she gestured to the gathered warriors on either side of her, arrayed on the steps. "Many fell in pursuit of our goal, and today we not only celebrate our victory, we honor their memory as well. In remembrance of our fallen friends, we will work over the coming months and years to rebuild our country into a grand nation."

Queen Zelda raised one hand to point at the banner flying overhead bearing the Hylian royal crest, projecting resolve as she swept her gaze out over the crowd. "As the phoenix rises from the ashes to be reborn, so too shall we! Together, we will rebuild Hyrule from its ashes into a shining jewel the rest of the world can look up to once again. Today I promise you that, as your Queen, I will lead the great nation of Hyrule into a new golden age."

Her tone became bolder, and she raised her hands to gesture out at the crowd. "Never again will we be overrun by tyrants! Never again will we slump into decay, becoming timid prey to any vicious predators who would invade our land to seize the power gifted to us by the Goddesses. We are the Chosen Land of the Gods for a reason! Together, let us show the Goddesses we are worthy of their attention!"

The crowd cheered again, and Zelda waited patiently for them to fall into silence. Once they had, she continued, gesturing at the castle around them as she spoke. "Hyrule will become a power among the world's nations once more. We will become a center of learning and culture, so that the great thinkers of the world will flock to Hyrule and enrich our way of life.

"So, too, we will become a power to be reckoned with, a mighty sword of justice to protect our neighbors from those who would despoil the world for their own ends." Zelda's expression hardened into one of steely determination, and her tone was fiery. "Today, I promise an end to tyrants! The grand nation of Hyrule will no longer allow wicked men to spread their tyranny over our world. We will become a shield against evil, so that the atrocities committed by the likes of Raneses and Ganondorf will never again threaten to plunge our world into darkness!"

She stopped to take a breath, and the crowd erupted into cheers again, not quieting down for a solid five minutes. Zelda had to hold up her hands to gesture for silence, and Link wondered how long they would have carried on had she not done this.

"But," Hyrule's ruler said, "Those are goals to be accomplished another day. Today, we celebrate our victory over the Dark Lords, and we cheer the heroes who bravely stood against their terrible power to ensure our freedom." She spread her hands to indicate those standing on either side of her along the steps.

One by one, she called them forward and proclaimed how they had aided Hyrule in freeing itself from the Dark Lord. Arnak's men each received titles and lands, and Ivan was proclaimed the new Baron of Faron Province, as the previous holder of that title had been killed in the occupation.

Auru was proclaimed Zelda's Prime Minister, and Ashei received the rank of Grand Marshal of Hyrule, in effect making her the supreme commander of Hyrule's military. Link had politely refused the position when Zelda had offered it to him during the preparations for the ceremony, and so it went to the next logical choice. Shad was appointed the chief keeper of the Royal Archives, the position his father had held, and the scholar couldn't seem to stop smiling for the rest of the ceremony after this announcement.

Rusl, who had also politely refused a position in the military, was the first of the public commendations for bravery in the war, and he was followed by nearly a dozen more warriors who had proven themselves especially valorous.

Next, Zelda publicly thanked the Balacruf representative, General Burgoyne, for the nation-for-hire's help with the war. Viserys could not be present, as he was organizing the rest of his forces and aiding the Oocca in moving back to their cities.

Raskys received special commendation as well, both for his efforts as part of the Hero's Company and as a Balacruf soldier. He grinned during the announcement, the sun flashing off of several brand-new medals on his uniform as he bowed in acknowledgment.

Arnak and Nabooru were both publicly commended for their efforts in the war, but both had refused any further reward, and so Zelda took this time to proclaim the official peace between the Hylian and Gerudo people, citing Nabooru's bravery in the mission in Raneses' fortress as well as the sacrifices the Gerudo had made in going against their king. Addressing the Matriarch, who stood on the leading edge of the crowd with the other dignitaries, Zelda proclaimed that whatever aid the desert people needed would be provided to help them rebuild, and that all Hyrulians should view them as friends.

Finally, the Queen called for Link and Midna to step forward, and they stood two steps below Zelda, facing her.

"Twilight Princess Midna," Zelda began, "there is no gift I can give you that would adequately reward the invaluable assistance you have rendered to Hyrule and myself personally. Instead, I will proclaim that the Twilight Realm is no longer to be considered the domain of traitors and wicked people. Though our two worlds cannot mix, I ask that, through their rulers, we ally our realms in a spirit of friendship and peace."

Midna inclined her head in acknowledgment. "Of course."

Zelda mirrored the motion. "Thank you." She turned to Link, and an air of anticipation settled over the crowd as they awaited her praise of their Hero.

"Link Fenris, Hero of Light, there is also no gift which could repay you for the service you have rendered to this country. However," here she smiled slightly, so that only he could see the expression, "I will reward you as best I can. Kneel, Hero of Light."

Link obeyed, dropping to one knee as his green cloak pooled around him. He bowed his head, clasping his hands over his knee.

With a clear ring, Link heard a sword gently slide free of its scabbard, and he felt a blade rest on his shoulder.

"Link Fenris, I proclaim thee Knight Protector of the Sovereign Kingdom of Hyrule," Zelda said formally. "Thy family's lordship and lands are returned, and thy honor and valor is to be praised throughout all corners of the land."

Head still bowed, Link heard the sword returned to its scabbard. "Rise, Lord Fenris," said Zelda.

Link rose to his feet and turned to face the crowd. They remained respectfully silent for a pair of heartbeats, then broke into wild cheers, more enthusiastic than any reaction so far today. He looked out over the crowd and saw many familiar faces, all cheering for him, but perhaps the most enthusiastic were those from Ordon. He smiled at them, looking down at his adopted family, and across the crowd, he met his mother's eyes. Nomi wore a proud smile, her eyes full of love. If his father Leif had been here, Link knew, he would be smiling in approval, too.

Around him, those who had been honored today stood tall under the sustained cheering, knowing it was for them just as much as it was for the Hero.

Link sighed deeply, a sense of peace washing over him. He knew what Zelda had said today would come true, and he would do his best to help his homeland in any way he could over the coming years.

He might not be a servant of the Goddesses any longer, but he would always be the Hero.

* * *

Author's Note: An epilogue follows. Thanks to Cloudrunner Sparty for checking this chapter over. Full author's notes follow the epilogue. Thanks to all readers.

(Revision Note: Fixed a bit of dialogue and corrected an oversight. Thanks to those of you who pointed it out.)


	45. Epilogue and Author's Notes

Epilogue

The celebration following Zelda's coronation ceremony lasted the rest of the day and would likely go on for most of the night. Banquet tables heaped high with delicacies were spread throughout the city, and noble and commoner alike ate on the Crown's bill, an incredible feast the likes of which the capital hadn't seen since Zelda was born.

Summoned by the Queen, the Hero's Company, Rusl, and Nabooru gathered on the wide balcony below the throne room, looking out over the city and the country they had protected, goblets of the finest wine in their hands, except for Colin, who stood with his father at one end of the balcony with Link.

Finally, Zelda arrived and joined her friends, raising her own goblet in toast. "To absent friends," she said.

The others raised their cups and drank, remembering Erik.

"So," said Midna, looking around at the group, "what are we all going to do now that the war's over?"

Raskys took another drink of his wine. "I'm going to go back to the desert and find the Zuna who helped me after I crashed. The woman who healed me was…" He chuckled shortly, looking over at the others. "Well, let's just say I'd like to see her again."

Arnak nodded, looking over at the Gerudo warrior standing next to him. "I am also going to the desert," he said. "There is… much I can do there."

Nabooru smiled, nodding herself as the two of them gazed out in the direction of the Gerudo Desert, awash with color in the sunset.

Majacen placed his hands on the balcony's railing, looking out at the city. "I will continue my travels. Much work has to be done to recover from the Dark Lord's conquest, and I will do what I can." The old wizard turned to look at Zelda. "Perhaps I will stay in Hyrule for a time, but there are many who will need my aid in the years to come."

Shad nodded. "I know I'll be busy for months getting the account of this war properly recorded, as well as revising the histories based on what I've learned."

Zelda smiled, looking down at the city. The rays of the setting sun caught the gems in her crown, sparkling in the fading light. "My reign will be a busy one," she said. "But, as Majacen said, there is much to be done. We must enjoy our peace while we have it."

Midna smiled as well, looking over at her fellow ruler. "I'll be busy in the Twilight Realm, too, though I don't have anything as grand as what you've said planned. I'm just going to make my home the peaceful place it used to be."

"I'm going to help rebuild my village," Colin said. "I'm not sure what I'll do after that. Maybe I'll join the army like my dad."

Rusl smiled at his son. "Whatever you want to do, Colin. We'll need you in Ordon, but if you want to get out and see the world more than you already have, I can understand that." He turned to Link. "What are you going to do now?"

Midna grinned, nudging his arm with her elbow. "Yeah, what's the mighty warrior going to do with his life now? Go back to herding goats?"

Link chuckled. "Maybe." He set his goblet down on the balcony's railing and stared off into the distance, letting the smile fade from his face. "I'm not sure what I'll do now," he said finally. "I'm sure there are a lot of things I could do. There are a lot of people out there that need help."

The Hero's Company stood in silence for a long time, thinking about the future.

* * *

Viserys sat alone in his office aboard _Falcon's Pride_, looking down at a map of the continent Hyrule occupied. Deserts and mountains surrounded it on all sides but to the south, where a vast forest spread through the mountain range there until it gave way to the temperate climates of the southern part of the continent.

This was the domain of the slavers, and many cities dotted the coast that had grown rich from the slave trade, full of vile men who gained from buying and selling their fellow intelligent beings.

Viserys had contacted Queen Zelda earlier, and the two of them agreed that this was to be where Hyrule first flexed its military might. After building up their forces for a few years, Hyrule and the nation-for-hire would launch a massive invasion of the slavers' domain and free those captive there. Once the slavers had been disposed of, Viserys' people would be given the cities, and the Balacruf would finally have a permanent home.

The Mercenary King began planning his last war.

* * *

Several days after the coronation, Link and Midna journeyed deep into Faron Woods alone, bound for the sacred resting place of the Master Sword. They opted to go by foot instead of flight or teleportation, and they talked about their journeys on the way there, enjoying traveling alone together again.

When they finally arrived at the Sacred Grove, they took their time making their way along the path leading to the ruined temple deep in the forest. Autumn had turned the leaves of the trees into an explosion of color, dozens of different hues of red, orange and yellow decorating the boughs above them as they strolled along the dirt path.

Midna laughed suddenly, and Link looked over at her. "What is it?" he asked.

She spread her arms, gesturing at the peaceful, beautiful forest around them. "I can't help thinking of the first two times we came here, chasing that ridiculous little creature that guarded the way to the temple. It was pretty fun trying to catch him, though, wasn't it?"

Link laughed. "Yeah, it was. That flute music about drove me crazy, though I did like the tune."

The two of them kept going until they arrived in the ruined temple, and they paused in the large Triforce marking still visible on the floor through the leaves and dirt covering the ground. Around them stretched the ruins of the ancient temple, pieces of the walls sticking up like the ribs of some enormous long-dead creature. Remembering the magnificent white temple this place had once been, Link wondered what else was hidden in the wilds of Hyrule, and if any other overgrown remnants of the Golden Kingdom's past grandeur still waited to be discovered in this ancient forest. Perhaps he would go looking for them someday.

As the Goddesses had said, he was now free to live his life in any way he chose. Maybe he'd ask Shad to come along. His scholarly friend would undoubtedly be excited to visit some of the places he'd uncovered in his journeys, as well as any new discoveries about Hyrule's past they might find. The possibilities were endless.

Slowly, Link and Midna walked through the short passage and ascended the steps up to where the Master Sword's pedestal waited. Link removed the Master Sword's scabbard from his baldric and replaced it with his Ordon sword, holding the sacred blade by the scabbard as he approached the pedestal.

With his left hand, he drew the Master Sword for the last time, setting the scabbard down next to the pedestal as he gripped the sacred weapon with both hands.

Link fitted the tip into the pedestal and thrust the blade into the channel made for it. The scabbard vanished, and he stepped back to look at the sword, now just the way he had first seen it.

"I hope it's never needed again," Link said. "Though I'm sure it will be."

Midna patted his shoulder. "Evil is one resource the world will never run out of, unfortunately." She smiled, playfully tugging at his cap. "That's what people like you are for."

Link smiled, nodding. "I suppose." He gestured to the Twilight Blade at her side. "Are you going to put that back where you found it?"

Midna looked down at her sword, a twin of the Hero's weapon, and rubbed a thumb over the large blue-green jewel set into the hint. "I don't know. Probably, though I'll have to get rid of that thing that was guarding it first." She grinned and playfully punched his shoulder. "Maybe you can help me with that."

Link laughed. "I think I'm done fighting monsters, thank you."

Midna smiled. "Yeah, you've probably had your fill of excitement for now." She nudged his arm with her hand. "So, 'Lord Fenris', you going to go reclaim your family's mansion? It does belong to you, you know."

Link shook his head. "No, I'm going to leave it alone. I may go back there every once in a while, but I'm going to let the Yetis keep it." He frowned. "I might try to talk to the mountain people, but I'm sure they'd never be willing to listen to a member of my family. It's a lot to forgive, but I hope they eventually learn to put what my ancestors did to theirs in the past."

He looked back down the passage out into the main temple. "What do you want to do now?" he asked his friend.

Midna sighed. "Well, I suppose I ought to go home. We're still trying to put the Twilight Realm back together, and my people need me."

He gestured back down the passage. "We'll go to the desert, then."

Midna spread her arms, and the two of them broke into black squares, leaving the Master Sword behind to begin the patient, silent wait for its next bearer.

* * *

Nabooru stood on the cliff over Lake Hylia next to Arnak and the Matriarch, looking down at the crystal blue water far below them. A boat was visible, its white sail billowing out as it lazily drifted with the wind. Nabooru could barely make out a fisherman asleep in the bottom, his line trailing behind him as the boat slowly drifted across the lake.

The Matriarch indicated the old road into the desert, long fallen into disrepair. "The Queen tells me she will have the roads into the desert repaired, so that passage between our domain and hers will be easier. We are to have full access to this lake whenever we wish."

Arnak nodded. "Good. We will need it."

Nabooru hid her smile. He had taken to referring to the Gerudo as 'we', confirming his intent to remain in the desert. She knew he would need time to get over all the tragedies he had endured, but she also knew he would be staying here. She was more than willing to give him the time he needed.

"We should get back to the encampment," the Matriarch said. "The sun will be hot soon."

The three of them turned and left the lake behind, returning to their home.

* * *

Link and Midna stood on the stone platform behind the Mirror of Twilight, saying their farewells.

The Twilight Princess tapped the remade Mirror with one hand. "I guess we do have to thank Ganondorf for this." She smiled slightly, turning to Link with a twinkle in her eye. "I won't break this one, I promise."

He smiled back. "See that you don't."

Midna's smile faded. "My reason for shattering the first one still stands, though. Even if we can come and go between the worlds as we please, that doesn't mean they should mix. We don't want a repeat of what happened to make us meet the first time. I'll be keeping careful guard over the portals on my end."

Link nodded. "I'll do the same. I'll work something out with the Gerudo for protection of the building. Zelda says she wants to give the Arbiter's Grounds back to them."

"All right," Midna said. "But make sure they seal it up or something. It's still capable of terrible things."

Link nodded again. "I'll see to it personally."

Midna moved in front of the Mirror, stepping on the place that would activate the glowing white stairs. The Mirror of Twilight flared into activity, projecting a vortex onto the black plinth behind it.

Link stayed where he was as Midna moved to climb the glowing white stairs up to the platform at the top. She stopped and turned to face him.

She smiled. "Well, see you later, Link."

He smiled back. "Goodbye, Midna."

Midna paused, an unreadable expression on her face, and as Link watched, she slowly descended the steps of the platform and walked over to him with a hint of trepidation. Link was puzzled; he met her eyes questioningly as she approached.

"What is it?" he asked. She seemed almost... nervous, and he wondered what was troubling her.

"Link, I..." She paused, and his mind flashed back to the last time they'd parted, when she'd spoken the same words. In his mind, the Mirror of Twilight shattered again, and he feared momentarily that she was going to break it even after she'd said she wouldn't.

Link brought his hands up to gently grasp Midna's shoulders. "What's wrong, Midna? You can tell me."

The Twilight Princess smiled almost sadly, emotions flashing across her face. Link thought he saw a tear glimmering in the corner of her eye. "There's..." She paused again. "There's something I have to tell you, though I'm afraid of what it might mean if I do. I've... I've felt this way for a long time now, but I'm not sure if you..." Midna looked up at Link, and he thought he saw something in her eyes that he'd never noticed before.

He raised his brows questioningly, and Midna suddenly smiled broadly and laughed. "Oh, why not?" she said. "You only live once."

Link furrowed his brow in confusion, not sure what she was talking about. "Midna, what are you-"

And then she showed him.

Gently placing one hand on Link's shoulder and the other on his other arm, Midna leaned in and gently pressed her lips to his. Link was briefly surprised, and did not react for a moment, but as he realized in his mind that he suddenly knew exactly what she meant and felt the same way himself, he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss. They stayed that way for a long moment, sharing a love both of them had just realized but at the same time had known all along.

Finally, Midna pulled away slightly, smiling. Link blinked once, looking into her beautiful ruby eyes. "Wow," he said, unable to think of anything else.

She chuckled lightly. "Took you long enough, Mr. Hero."

"Much too long," Link agreed, pulling her close again.

As the Hero and the Twilight Princess embraced again, Link felt a deep sense of peace and completeness. This was what he had been missing, he realized. Now he was truly happy, ready to face the future, whatever it may bring.

Everything was going to be all right.

* * *

* * *

-/\-

_**The End **_

_**The Legend of Zelda**_

-\/-

* * *

* * *

Final Author's Notes and Acknowledgments: Well, that's it, everybody. Thank you all so much for following the story, and I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. It's had its ups and downs, some great parts, and some not-so-great parts, but it's been a valuable learning experience for me, and I think I'm definitely a better writer now than I was when I started it.

As you no doubt observed while reading, I went back over the whole story and polished it up a little. Now, 08/31/09, nearly a year after originally posting this epilogue, I declare it completely finished, and I am happy with the story as it exists right now, so there will be no further revisions unless I spot a grammar or spelling error somewhere that managed to elude me even after this many readings. I smoothed out errors(including one in this very chapter that I somehow never noticed until today), reworded a few parts, changed the order of a few scenes, and improved quite a few descriptions, but most of the story stayed exactly the way I first posted it. There were a few things that were genuinely wrong, so there was some minor restructuring, but no major changes to the plot, aside from one:

This epilogue ended a little differently when I first posted it, but after much deliberation, I decided that Link and Midna needed a resolution to the relationship I'd been building for most of the story after all, and I restored what I'd had as the original ending. I cut it before the original post because I thought it was too sappy, but after I asked a couple of the regular readers about it, they said it wasn't that bad and told me to put it back in. I agree with them that it's a much better ending than the original version. You're welcome, LinkXMidna fans. That's the most romance you're going to pry out of me. ;)

Also, as you may have noticed a few plot elements were not completely resolved within the body of this story, rest assured, it's not an oversight. Midway through writing this story, I realized it was much too big, and a lot of stuff would need to be trimmed out to avoid this being at least twice as long as it is now. I'm serious; this quite easily could have gone past seventy chapters if I'd let it. There's a lot of stuff hinted at in the early part of the story that's never completely resolved, and I was almost forced to make a sequel to this story to bring my little saga to a proper conclusion.

So, since as of this revision the story is up and running, I will now direct you to '_The Legend of Zelda: The Secret War_,' which you can find in my stories list. It's set twenty-five years after the ending of this story, and primarily concerns the main characters' children, though their parents play a large role. The main character is a young Gerudo warrior who seeks to break the Blood Curse, the reason why only one male Gerudo is born every hundred years. Her quest soon leads her into a larger adventure, spanning Hyrule and beyond.

It'll probably be at least as long as '_The Fourth Piece_', though it may be a little shorter, and will, as best I can, properly resolve all the ideas I've come up with. As the note in my profile about the story mentions, '_The Secret War_' is part three of a loose 'trilogy' beginning with '_Twilight Princess_' and continuing in '_The Fourth Piece_,' combining elements of the first two while still being its own adventure.

But, perhaps before you begin reading the sequel, you might be interested in another of my projects set in the Zelda universe, a short story entitled '_The Hero of Lightning_,' which tells the adventures of the original bearer of the Staff of Lightning, whom we briefly met in Chapter 42. It's a prequel, of sorts, though it can stand alone as its own adventure. Essentially, the backstory I came up with for the Staff of Lightning's origin was just too interesting to not make into a full-fledged story, so I wrote it out. I hope you enjoy it, since I had fun writing it.

Another project that will be ongoing for as long as I keep getting submissions for it is a oneshot collection entitled '_Missing Pieces_,' which aims to fill in some of the backstory for '_The Fourth Piece_.' The point of the collection is for anyone who wishes to tell a story set in my story's universe to do so, sort of fan-fiction of a fan-fiction, if you will. The war in 4th Piece spans nearly the entire world, so there are dozens of untold stories out there. I act mostly as the editor of the collection, though I will of course be writing entries myself. If you're interested in writing a story for the collection, drop me a PM and I'll send you any information you need. Authors who wish to participate will have pretty much free rein to write about whatever they want, though I will be making sure everything maintains continuity with 4th Piece and the other stories, and that if my original characters are used, which you are free to do, they stay in character. More information is in the introduction.

Finally, I want to thank the other authors on this site who have provided invaluable assistance to me in not only writing this story, but in improving as a writer:

Seldavia, as I have mentioned in many author's notes, has been extremely helpful over the run of the story in helping me to improve plots, dialogue, and myriad other things. It is not an exaggeration to say that without her input and help, this story would not be half as good as it is. All screw-ups remain solely mine, and there would be a good deal more of them if not for her. I really recommend that you go check out her stories, especially the ones in my Favorites list, since she is one of the better writers on this site, in my totally unbiased opinion. ;)

Silverwolf05, besides being a talented writer herself(I highly recommend her fic, '_The Immortal's Heart_', and the art based upon it), is also a very talented artist, and I was lucky enough to have her offer to do some art based on this story. She's done portraits of almost all of my original characters, and they're spot-on with what I had in mind, so if you haven't already, go visit my DeviantArt account and browse through the 'Story-Related' folder in my Favorites. Make sure to show your appreciation by leaving a comment; this is some good art regardless, so tell her how much you like it.

Thanks goes also to Windblown Wanderer for his helpful reviews and later exchange of ideas and jokes. He seems to have left the site, but he did leave his stories up, and I also recommend you go check them out.

Cloudrunner Sparty also deserves special mention, as since he started on the story sort of late into its run, he nevertheless provided valuable assistance in catching errors, as well as advice on the story itself. He graciously agreed to work with me on the revision of the story, and between the two of us, we cleared (hopefully) all the goofy mistakes out to make the story more readable. As with the others, I recommend you go check out his stories.

Desteni left quite a few very insightful reviews, providing inspiration not only for minor revisions to make this story easier to read, but ways for me to improve my overall writing style. Much thanks is owed for that, as well as several pieces of art for the story, which can be found on DA. I recommend you give her stories a read as well.

Major thanks also goes to the regular readers and reviewers. In the interest of preventing myself from forgetting to include someone, which I know I'd do, I'm not going to list everybody who's reviewed the story, but you know who you are, so thank you very much for reading. Your support of the story really means a lot to me, and I really appreciated all your thoughts, too. I'm glad I was able to tell a story you enjoyed, and I hope I continue to do so in the future.

Much love,

Davin Sunrider


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